Agamemnon Had it Coming

Duty is a key part of mythology and the stories that revolve around it. Sometimes it leads heroes down the path of glory and respect, while other times it leads them to fulfill a deadly prophecy. Duty is typically seen as the “right thing” to follow because it conforms to the will of the gods and Fate. This duty becomes problematic, however, when it undermines important values such as family and common virtue. In Agamemnon, a choice is brought to the title character by an angered goddess, Artemis. He could sacrifice his own flesh and blood so that he could go to war, or remain home and face unpopularity and shame. Agamemnon chose to kill Iphigenia, and that choice came back to bite him later in the Oresteia. Agamemnon was in the wrong when he killed Iphigenia, and his choice to make the sacrifice proved to be instrumental in his ultimate downfall.

Agamemnon began to make his decision by analyzing his two options. “Pain both ways, and what is worse? / Desert the fleets, fail the alliance?” (Ag.,212-213) While it is understood that Agamemnon had a duty to the state, sacrificing his own child so that he could go to war was was absurd. As a leader, Agamemnon did have a duty to his nation. However, duty to one’s family supersedes other duties. As the play unfurls, we can see that Iphigenia’s death means more destruction down the line for Agamemnon. Agamemnon says “gag her hard, a sound will curse the house.” (Ag.,236) Even without Iphigenia making noise, Agamemnon fulfilled the curse upon his household by sacrificing her without any real consideration for her physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing.

While Agamemnon might have briefly exhibited remorse in the line “pain both ways”, his spirit proceeded to “[veer] black, impure, unholy” (Ag.,219) as he accepted her fate. When Agamemnon chose to sacrifice her, it tainted his soul. Iphigenia inherently had more value to Agamemnon, consequently making her more than a simple pawn in the grand scheme of things. Iphigenia wasn't just a normal maiden, and her life wasn’t meaningless in the story. Agamemnon treated it as such, however, and this nonchalant view of his daughter’s death only furthered his doom. Clytemnestra’s fire of hatred toward her husband was stoked by this indifferent behavior towards her child.

If Agamemnon truly cared about his daughter, he wouldn’t have sided with the popular opinion over his own flesh and blood. The situation was not as dire as Agamemnon made it out to be. The army wasn’t going to die if Iphigenia wasn’t sacrificed. Yes, there would certainly be outrage over Agamemnon choosing not to make the sacrifice. The pride of Greece was already being “raked” (Ag.,198) as they were held back by the storm; not going to war dashed dignity. Despite this, it was destined that the Greeks go to Troy. The Fates would have overruled Artemis’s thirst for blood and let the Greek armies go forth if that’s what needed to happen. Why was losing Helen worse than losing Iphigenia to Agamemnon at that moment? Why couldn’t Agamemnon deny the gods to protect his family? Was that not more heroic? These questions aren’t answerable because there was no moral justification for the sacrifice. Instead, Agamemnon made a split-second decision that caused Clytemnestra’s schemes to begin to develop. Now, not only was the decision morally corrupt, but it spelled disaster for him after the war.

Agamemnon’s unjust choice regarding Iphigenia fueled Clytemnestra to consequently slaughter him. Clytemnestra harbored rage for all the 10 years Agamemnon was at war. She was in outrage that he would sacrifice their daughter without a second thought. “He thought no more of it than killing a beast / but he sacrificed his own child, our daughter / to charm away the savage winds of Thrace.” (Ag.,1440-1444) She was horrified that he would throw away Iphigenia’s life as if it was worth no more than any other girl’s. Agamemnon’s actions brought Clytemnestra down a path of destruction and revenge. Clytemnestra was furious that no one held him accountable for the murder of Iphigenia. “Name one charge you brought against him then.” (Ag.,1439) She wonders why they did not object to him killing his own family, but object to her avenging her daughter. Not only was the sacrifice of Iphigenia immoral, but it was punishable by death. Clytemnestra acted as the executioner of justice and avenged Iphigenia’s unfair death.

Between being left to rule a nation on her own and having her own daughter killed without getting a say in the matter, Clytemnestra’s actions were destined the minute Agamemnon hoisted Iphigenia onto the altar. Agamemnon’s fate was sealed by his own actions. Clytemnestra believed that Iphigenia’s life was not Agamemnon’s to take, and this belief led her to end his life when he returned home. She saw it as her duty to right Agamemnon’s wrong. While some duties can be honorable or justified, the “duty” that Agamemnon carried out was neither of those things. Instead, it was the nail in Agamemnon’s coffin, and Clytemnestra had the hammer. Agamemnon had it coming, and he only had himself to blame.