When we were going through The Odyssey I had a blog post about Penelope because she seemed like such a classy lady to me. Now we're dealing with Clytaemnestra...who is just a psycho. She is the complete opposite of Penelope!
Penelope waited 20 years for her husband to return home to her. She did everything in her power to avoid other men who wanted her. Clytaemnestra couldn't even make it 10 years. She cheated on her husband and then killed him in cold blood when he finally returned home.
People said that Clytaemnestra's killing was because Agamemnon had killed their daughter, and although that might have been part of it, I think it was mainly because she was just crazy!
Sir Walter Scott says, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive". In other words, one lie leads to another lie, which leads to another lie, and so on and so forth. This can relate back to Clytaemnestra. Her anger towards Agamemnon over the death of their daughter was only the start of it. But as her anger grew and grew, it lead way to her committing bigger "sins", if you will, and eventually leading her to commit adultery and then murder him.
P.s. I commented on Michelle Nellsch's "Bloody cycle of revenge"
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Rebekah! The character of Penelope is so inspiring and then there is Clytaemnestra who is the exact opposite. Also like you said I feel like there really was no reason for Clytaemnestra to kill Agamemnon even though he did kill their daughter. At the same time Clytaemnestra basically banishes Orestes and doesn't allow him to come back even after Agamemnon returns. So, it's not like Clyaemnestra is an amazing mother. Granted there's a big difference between murder and banishment. I still think Clytaemnestra was crazy and killed Agamemnon because she messed up too and she doesn't know how to own up to her mistake.
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