The National Royal Theatres rendering of the Greek play Agamemnon, written by Aeschylus, used many things to execute the communication of the ancient play to the audience. Greek plays were performed in masks; used beforehand as an element of praise to the God Dionysus in Athens, most likely used in ceremonial rituals and celebrations. The use of masks of Greek theater played a highly important role in the development of the theater art form, and they are considered to be one of the iconic conventions of classical Greek theatre, and the classical masks were also able to bring the characters’ faces closer to the audience, especially since they are highly, intensely over-exaggerated facial features and expressions. With that being said, it was …show more content…
As the chorus finishes their first scene, Clytemnestra enters, the wife of Agamemnon. Her mask is coated in gold. It creates an ethereal glow as it shines in the light and reflects it back. The long black hair on the mask is also adorned in gold in the form of facets clamped around bundles. Compared to the chorus’ muted beige masks, she is the one that stands out like the beacon she is declaring to have seen. The heralds mask was a more detailed in the fact that it was also golden. It even was adorned with a golden ivy crown, which has symbolized a ruler or leader. His mask also reflects the look full of hope and shock and awe. Another example of how the use of masks displays power and rank would be that of Agamemnon. Agamemnon’s dramatically peaked helmet that glimmers with every slight movement of …show more content…
On the complete opposite side of that, Clytemnestra’s pungent orange dress, accented with such a gaudy gold necklace, against the gray muted background creates such a dramatic contrast, it forces the viewers focus straight to her. The camera shots within the scene showing her and the chorus, show the chorus members completely blended in, you could only see Clytemnestra. Along with his mask, Agamemnon’s costume also displays power and rank. The swayed cape across his chest that hangs behind him shows his royalty. The exaggerated length of his shoulders gave the feeling of strength and it also increased the look of his figure. Cassandra’s costume has the most detail, the use of black and white paired with a sheen pattern, added a movement to her clothing. It accents her oracle profession and character. It shines under the light and reflects it like the vision she spews from her mouth. Her silk like wrap shined so much like glitter that it communicated a magic feeling. It just reinforced her oracle character. One of the most literal reinforcements used with the costumes would be Clytemnestra’s red glove that she wears, as she rolls out the body of Agamemnon. The use of this bold red glove translates and represents the blood she took at her own
crimson base. The jacket was scarlet with white lining, collar, lapels and cuffs; golden lace and buttons. They wore a white stock, breeches, gaiters and gloves, a crimson sash, black shoes and a black sword scabbard with a golden point. The colors (royal colors) have a brown staff with a golden spearhead. The colors properly are the Union, having golden trimming and writing in the center and on the arms of the cross.
10. And indeed Clytemnestra could be seen as a physical agent of the principle of revenge in her killing of Agamemnon.
Clytemnestra has the ten years of the Trojan War to plan her revenge on Agamemnon. Upon his return Clytemnestra shows him some love. That love she showed quickly changes to rage and hatred when Clytemnestra she’s Agamemnon with his mistress Cassandra.
The Greek interpretation of what makes a man “civilized” and what makes him “savage” is a recurring theme throughout the ancient epics, battle narratives, and dramas, including Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. In this first installment of The Oresteia, the chorus of Argive elders expresses keen outrage at the killing of Agamemnon, which suggests that they equate savagery with the madness they see in Clytemnestra: “just as your mind is maddened by the bloody deed, the blood-fleck in your eyes is clear to see” (1426-1427). In many places throughout the play, however, Clytemnestra proves that she does not fit the description of savage that is defined in Homer’s literature, for example and instead gives evidence that she is a very complex, rational woman. The chorus ignores the many admirable qualities of their queen —her skill at running the estate and her compassion for those who have suffered, among other things— simply because she is a woman. These qualities may not entirely excuse Clytemnestra from taking a life, but they combine to form a more noble picture of the queen than the chorus chooses to portray. Clytemnestra has relatable motives and displays empathy and respect for many different people, including the husband who she just killed, which sets her apart from the classical Greek definition of a savage —a designation forced on Clytemnestra by the chorus, but not necessarily to be believed.
The imagery in “Clarisa” is used to help explain the admiration the narrator has for Clarisa. One example of this is when Clarisa arrives home from the parade for the Pope, who has come to town, distraught and confused. “I combed her meringue hair high on her head, tied it with a ribbon, and then sat down to accompany her through this crisis, not knowing exactly what it was” (438). This piece of text helps the reader envision Clarisa’s age, as well as providing a physical description of Clarisa. Furthermore, this piece of text also helps reveal the love that the narrator feels for Clarisa, and how she is concerned for Clarisa’s well-being. Another piece of imagery used is, “She was exhausted when she reached the house, with the din of bells and cheering still ringing in her temples” ( 438). This portion of text conveys a feeling of tiredness and finality. This description could help one infer that Clarisa is worn out, and her body is failing. Clarisa just finished seeing the Pope, somet...
Agamemnon's pride and cowardice are again revealed in lines 261-272 when the Chorus states Agamemnon's horrid decision t...
All humans wear a mask of some kind; whether it is a false representation varies from person to person. This reality is revealed in poetic fashion in the piece “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar; the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the play Othello by William Shakespeare. While all in different genre’s, they all contain the similarity of deception and creating a mask for the rest of the world to see in order to hide their true self. In the story “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown experiences everyone around him wearing the mask of Christianity and holiness, and he therefore loses his own faith. In the Shakespearian play Othello, the antagonist, Iago, deceives the Othello by maintaining a mask of honesty
In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon there are many different opinions about what kind of king and commander Agamemnon was. Some argued that he was good, while others dispute that his motives were wrong. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, gained a strong hatred for him, after he sacrificed his own daughter so he could go to war. Many believe that this was not necessary and could have been overcome. The chorus seems to agree with this to an extent, and feels that Agamemnon could have prayed and requested that he not sacrifice his daughter.
The theater of Dionysus stands at the foot of the acropolis and its date originates back to the 6th Century, B.C.. Its originally wood seats rise in tiers above one another against the slope of the acropolis, creating a natural setting for the plays (D'ooge, 231). The Greek Theater was built to house a drama which, during the festivals of Dionysus, had evolved from the long tradition of choral hymns which were presented each year. As Greek culture changed and flourished, entertainment transformed from being a series of choral chanting and dancing to placing an emphasis on the actor. As the actors' importance grew, there became a need for a stage from which they could be seen by each of the fourteen thousand spectators the theater housed. The chorus was still a very active part of the entertainment and they resided in the orchestra (Norwich, 64). The orchestra was the oldest part of the Greek theater and thus, when the actor was given
We know this is the start of a trilogy because an audience cannot see a woman - especially one as anti-matriarchal as Klytaemnestra - triumph over a king as famous and respected as Agamemnon. Her downfall is intrinsically tied in with his; she catches herself in the 'great net' (A 1402) and it is her struggles that 'merely tightened the tangle.' (A 1403).
The Achaeans are more concerned with personal glory and achievement rather than the well-being of the city. Two Characters who definitely display this characteristic are Agamemnon and Achilles. Agamemnon is selfish and is only concerned with his own honor. This is seen almost immediately in the poem. In book one, during the tenth year of battle, Chryses visits Agamemnon and offers ransom for his daughter, Chryseis who was taken as plunder early in the war. Although the ransom is attractive, Agamemnon refuses the money because the girl represents power and glory and that is far more important than wealth. Plunder represents victory; therefore, the more women Agamemnon possesses, the more glorified and powerful he feels. Eventually, Agamemnon returns the girl to her father; however, he insists that someone give him a female to compensate for his loss and restore his honor. He views the situation as a challenge to his authority and complains, "I alone of the Argives go without my honor. That would be a disgrace" (1.139-40). Agamemnon demands, the "Argives will give me a prize, a match for my desires, equal to what I have lost, well and good. But if they give me nothing I will take a p...
The importance of costume in the theatre cannot be rated too highly, for it is not only an outward and immediately visible medium of expression for the actor himself but it is significant of the dramatic values which he is suppose to portray (Brooke, 1). The colors, texture and shape of a costume can create a feeling of the character that the actor may not be able to portray. There is not any definite information on what exactly the Greeks used for costumes because so much time has elapsed since the original records were taken. Most information is based on the different artifacts that were found, such as paintings and pottery. Sometimes hints of what was worn could be found in the plays themselves.
Theater was an important part of Ancient Greek Civilization. History of Greek theatre began with religious festivals which aim to honor Dionysus, a god. During the festivals some citizens sing songs and perform improvisation plays and other participants of festivals judges this performances to decide which one of them was the best. These plays form the foundation of the Greek Theatre. Because of the competition between performers to create best performances, plays gained an aesthetic perspective and became a form of art. So, theatre as a part of religious rituals took attention of people and gained an importance in Ancient Greek Society.
In the list of characters at the beginning of the play, the Chorus is stated to be a chorus of Corinthian Women. This draws the first link between them and Medea. The Chorus follows Medea on her journey through this play. They act as narrators on important occurrences in the play; however, they also act as a device Euripedes uses to influence the opinion of the audience. He does this by presenting to the audience a moral voice in the Chorus. The audience can relate to them, because the Chorus is in a neutral position in the play. They are definitely an integral part of the play, but their role is not so much to influence the actual plot of the play, but more to echo what has happened in the plot and the thoughts of the protagonists, and to suggest moral solutions the audience. The Chorus uses language which almost makes it seem that they are speaking from the perspective of the audience, and in doing this they are guiding the audience responses to what Euripedes wants it to be:
After Agamemnon’s death, Aegisthus is next in line to become king and Clytemnestra is his queen. Her desire for power is hidden by her claims of justification. She challenges anyone to take her power. “[H]e who conquers me in fair fight shall rule me” (45). She threatens the Chorus to a fight for power. She knows she has all the power now the king was dead and she is his queen. Clytemnestra is aware she killed him for his power, but her arrogance makes her put the deed on the curse of the House of Atreus and vengeance for