Gender Roles In Agamemnon By Aeschylus And Trifles

Gender roles are extremely important in the way people view women in both modern and historical societies. Throughout history women have been characterized as weak and subservient to males and although one might argue gender roles and stereotypes have gotten better as time has passed, it is still apparent in how women are portrayed in theatre. Most, if not all, of the first playwrights, were male and because of this they had very different views of how women were to be seen in their plays. In the play’s Agamemnon by Aeschylus and Trifles by Susan Glaspell, the characters, Clytemnestra and Mrs. Wright defy the normalized gender roles and stereotypes to reinforce the plays vengeful theme.

Trifles is set in the early 1900’s where it was a woman’s

job to keep the house clean and warm. Mrs. Wright is criticized from the moment the officers walk into her house because her house was “a nice mess” and freezing cold. The officers continue to talk about her cold house and they even go up to the fire to keep warm. However, the reason her house is in this state is due to the fact that she is unhappy and feels as though she doesn't have a reason to live. The men continue to talk about how they suspect Mrs. Wright to be the murderer but they cannot find any motive. They are also flustered in trying to figure out how she put the rope around her husband’s neck without him knowing. Women in this time period were considered to be weak and dependent on men for everything and because of this the officers can’t understand why she would have committed the crime.
Though the actions of their male counterparts both Clytemnestra and Mrs. Wright are forced to transform into the harsh and cold characters they were portrayed as. Before Mrs. Wright was married she is described as wearing “pretty clothes” and being “lively when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir;” however, after her marriage, she “kept so much to herself.” Part of the reason she may feel isolated is because the Wright’s live “down in a hollow” where “you don’t see the road.” Both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters make it a point to say they would have visited her more but they “stayed away because it weren't cheerful” and they “never liked this place.” Mrs. Wright live such an isolated life and one can only conclude that Mr. Wright is to blame for this. Not only was Mr. Wright characterized as being “hard” and “Like a raw wind that gets to the bone” but he also could have been considered old fashioned which is supported by the point that he would not buy a phone for their house. The Wright’s also live in a “quiet house” because they did not have any children, so the only joy in her life is her pet bird, which gives her a feeling of love, life and a sense of freedom, while also representing her old life. What pushes Mrs. Wright over the edge is the murder of her pet bird; Mr. Wright snapped its neck and with the death of her bird went the last connection she has to her old life. Mrs. Wright has such a strong connection to the bird and treats it like it is her child, so when it is killed without a second thought she feels as if her child has been murdered. This act is Mrs. Wright’s motive because she feels as though she needs to exact revenge on Mr. Wright for what he has done. In the play Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are the only ones to figure out her motive and after they find the dead bird they finally understand why she acted the way she did and they feel sympathetic for her.
In Agamemnon, the transformation point for Clytemnestra is Agamemnon’s decision “to become his daughter’s sacrifice to aid the war.” Not only does Agamemnon decide to sacrifice Iphigenia in front of his entire army, but he also does it for the “first rites of deliverance for the ships” to rescue Helen of Troy. If this were to happen in today’s society the audience would be repulsed and think Clytemnestra has the right to be devastated and angry, but back in ancient Greek times it was considered a necessary sacrifice. In either time period, it would be hard to think a mother would be able to come to terms with her husband sacrificing their daughter in front of a whole army. After the death of Iphigenia, Clytemnestra threw herself into being Queen because of her newfound loneliness.
Although Clytemnestra is the Queen of Argos, the chorus continuously challenges and questions her authority.

At the beginning of the play, Clytemnestra announces the end of the war and the return of the soldiers to Argos. The chorus responds stating “it is like the mettle of a woman’s spirit to praise the gracious gift before it is certainly there.” This is a direct punch at her authority and it corresponds to the double standard women are put under. The chorus also gives into the stereotypes of women during the time period by saying that it is just like a woman to talk before things are certain. Along with their disrespect for Clytemnestra, they also poke fun at the fact she “talks like a sensible man.” Part of the reason the chorus continuously makes fun of her is because they can’t possibly understand why a woman took the throne in Agamemnon’s absence even though she is the most qualified person to

rule.
Clytemnestra does not let the chorus’s lack of respect make her feel insignificant, in fact she counters these attacks by talking down to them as if they were fools “You try me out as if I were a woman that cannot think.” She also takes a stand by saying, “Here is Agamemnon, my husband, now a corpse- His death the work of this right hand of mine, and efficient craftsman.

That is how that is.” Clytemnestra exemplifies a strong woman because she directly acknowledges the chorus’ attempt to make her seem weak and does not let them distract her from her mission of killing Agamemnon. The chorus also compares Clytemnestra to a spider web because of the thought and planning she puts into the murder of Agamemnon and his mistress. She does not deny her actions or motive for killing Agamemnon, “I cut this man’s throat, in my hope treads not within the hall of Fear” and because of this Clytemnestra is viewed as woman who went against the traditional gender roles and stereotypes of her time period to make her point. Most modern readers think of Clytemnestra as a strong character; however, the fact that she “had sent her son Orestes away and taken Aegisthus as a lover” makes her weak in the eyes of ancient Greek audiences. When Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, he not only kills the daughter but also a piece of Clytemnestra. This triggers something in Clytemnestra and makes her think she is killing Agamemnon for Iphigenia’s

memory.
In the ancient Greek society, there was a huge double standard with the treatment of women and men. The part of Agamemnon that most exemplifies this is when Clytemnestra explains to the chorus why she killed Agamemnon. Clytemnestra justifies her murders by telling herself that she is avenging her daughter’s death; however, the chorus does not feel the same way and, in fact, they tell her “you shall be cast and torn away from the city, a monstrous object of hate to the citizens.” Their response states it would not have been as bad of an act if Aegisthus had committed the double murder instead of Clytemnestra and because Clytemnestra is the killer, she is now seen as a bad woman, wife, and is banished from the kingdom. This sort of response from the chorus would not have happened if Aegisthus had committed the murders instead of Clytemnestra and in fact if Aegisthus were to do the same thing he may have even been considered more of a man and savior to the city.
Gender roles and stereotypes are important topics of discussion across different genres and time periods. Both the plays Agamemnon and Trifles have strong female lead protagonists that help break down the gender roles while also reinforcing the theme of revenge. The characters of Clytemnestra and Mrs. Wright are characters of circumstance and do not let their gender get in the way of their revenge on their husbands.