Peithō on Trial: Aeschylus’ Oresteia

Part 1: Agamemnon Red-figure vase painting: Aegisthus slays Agamemnon. In Aeschylus’

Oresteia

, Clytemnestra commits the murder.

Peithō on Trial…

• • “Persuasion, maddening child of Ruin / overpowers him — Ruin plans it all” (p. 118)

biatai de hē talaina peithō, | proboulou pais aphertos atas

• “Woeful Persuasion, indomitable daughter of conniving ruin, works her violence on him” (line 385) 4/28/2020 Agamemnon 2

Agenda

• • Recap and Update • Peithō and Oresteia To Tread or Not to Tread?

• Clytemnestra versus Agamemnon in the Red Carpet Scene 4/28/2020 Agamemnon 3

Recap and Update

Peithō and Oresteia

Why Oresteia?

• Peithō as pillar… • • Of democracy Of justice • Peithō on trial

Peithō and Athens

4/28/2020 Agamemnon 5

Aphrodite Pandemos at Athens Site of Pandemos shrine

Pandēmos, Word Notes

• •

etymology

pan

• “all”

dēmos

• “people” •

interpretation

“of all the people” • • • • public national common vulgar 4/28/2020 Agamemnon 8

Pausanias on Pandemos “When Theseus had united into one state the several villages, he established the cult of Aphrodite Pandemos and of Peitho.”

Nicander on Pandemos “Solon … authorized … brothels to deal with young men in their prime. And ... Solon used the money earned by the girls to build a temple to Aphrodite Pandemos….”

Aeschylus’ Oresteia

• Persuasion and revenge • •

Agamemnon Libation Bearers

• Persuasion and justice •

Eumenides

4/28/2020 Agamemnon 11

Oresteia: Background

• •

The plays. . .

Playwright – Aeschylus (525/4-456 BCE) Plays (458 BCE) – – – –

Agamemnon Libation Bearers Eumenides

Menelaus (lost)

The politics. . .

508/7 Cleisthenic reforms 490-479 Persian Wars 463-461 Ephialtes’ ascendancy at Athens 461-429 Pericles’ ascendency at Athens 458 Oresteia produced 4/28/2020 Podlecki, Anthony J. The Political Background of Aeschylean Tragedy. Ann Arbor, 1966. Print.

Agamemnon 12

Agamemnon: Analysis

• • • • • • Prologue (pp. Penguin 104 f.) – Watchman Chorus entry (105 ff.) – misgivings: expedition, portent of eagles and hare Dialogue (112 ff.) – Fire signals Chorus (117 ff.) – Paris’ crime Dialogue (121 ff.) – Victory. Menelaus lost?

Chorus (129 ff.) – Helen’s blood wedding • • • • •

Agon (132 ff.)

–

Red-carpet welcome

Chorus (141 ff.) – Foreboding Dialogue (143 ff.) – Cassandra scene Chorus (158 ff.) – Perils of power. Murder Finale (160 ff.) – Corpses, recriminations, voctory lap, more recriminations 4/28/2020 Agamemnon 13

To Tread or Not to Tread?

Clytemnestra versus Agamemnon in the Red Carpet Scene

Notes

• • • • • •

To tread

deserve reward of gods victory brought by gods I murdered your daughter – – brought home woman persuasion by guilt gods honor me – loving wife really hubristic gender arguments 4/28/2020 Agamemnon • •

Not to tread

not gift, hubristic – – – – – I’m humble and modest I’m not equal clyt made arg for you cast steps I’m a great warrior • I’ll be soft • misogyny card gender arguments 16

Clytemnestra’s Speech-Act

(p. 139)

AGAMEMNON Victory in this . . . war of ours, it means so much to you?

CLYTEMNESTRA “O give way (pithou, “obey”)! The power is yours if you surrender, / all of your own free will, to me”