Did Agamemnon deserve to die? According to the Greek system of morality I would say no. He sacrificed his daughter for the cause of the war. While we would say this is despicable (which it is as is any kind of murder) the Greeks may have seen this as a good thing. His action was taken to cause the most good to the most people (utilitarian again) . By killing his daughter he would save many. Either way the killing was a sacrifice to a deity. This alone would be considered an honorable thing. Clytemnestra and Agamemnon were separated for many years. They were no longer "in love" or had any real relationship existing as evidenced by Clytemnestra's affair. Therefore his bringing home another woman was not the ultimate betrayal as one may think. Finally he is tricked into going against the gods by his hateful and cheating wife. He didn't deserve to die.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/107/277105789_8340fe845c.jpg
Let's take another side. Clytemnestra gave birth to a beloved daughter. Her husband decided to go off to war and in preparation he decides he needs to make a sacrifice. So just as a precaution to ensure the safety of many men that are fighting for a cause she feels very little enthusiasm for Agamemnon kills the beloved daughter as one would sacrifice livestock. She sees her blood on the hands of the man she calls her husband. She is left alone for years. Then when this man, this killer, comes back from war he brings back a woman that is around the age of her dead daughter to be his concubine. In the end he defiles things that were meant only for the gods. He deserved to die.
No comments:
Post a Comment