Agamemnon’s Herald
Aeschylus’ character of the Herald in the Agamemnon portion of the Orestiad serves a number of purposes. Life in Argos waits on this man’s return to the city announcing the victory and news of the fall of Troy. It has been so long since the young men of Greece have been home that despair has set in without them. All that remains are unpregnant women and the elderly.
On the surface, the Herald is representative of the common warrior returning to his home after a decade of battle in the Trojan War. He left a young man and is returning much more mature. He expresses what all of the Greek warriors must have felt upon their return to their homelands, places they hadn’t seen in over ten years. He praises the gods for the blessing that he now may die and be buried in his own dirt, rather than in wretched Illium. He praises the gods that fought against the Greeks saying:
“At Scamander’s banks we took our share,
your longbows brought us down like plague.
Now come, deliver us, heal us - Lord Apollo!”(Agamemnon, line 501)
The Herald’s version of the Helen and Paris story is probably reflective of what was actually thought by the men fighting against Troy. He justifies the destruction of Troy, including the destruction of the temples, because Paris was deserving of all of it due to his kidnapping and raping of Helen. The truth of the consensual relationship is unknown to these men.
“Convicted of rapine, stripped of all his spoils,
and his fathers house and the land that gave it life -
he’s scythed them to the roots.” (Agamemnon, line 525)
The message Clytemnestra sends the Herald away serves to show the cunning nature of the queen. She weaves into it foreshadowing of her intentions and hints as to her true feelings, all with a mask of an overjoyed wife. She says things like “Why prolong the story? From the king himself I’ll gather all I need.” This places a dark idea in the mind of the audience, who know the queen’s eventual intention. Also, to the Herald she speaks what I consider one of the best lines of the play. With complete sincerity (though false), Clytemnestra sends a message to her husband:
“The people’s darling - how they long for him.
And for his wife,
may he return and find her true at hall,
just as the day he left her, faithful to the last.” (Agam. line 600)
She speaks more about how she could no more betray him than “dye bronze”, but as we were later shown, she kills the king with a bronze weapon in the end.
The Herald brings news of the fallen or lost Greek warriors and leaders. When asked of Menelaus, he falters, not wanting to ruin the grand moment of being home and being apparently safe. Eventually, he tells Clytemnestra that Menelaus and his ships were lost at sea. This news ties up a loose end left when the Greeks destroyed the temples of the gods within the city walls of Troy, fulfilling the theme of Justice within the Greek drama. Greatly angered by this violence against them, the Olympians blow the returning Greeks off course, and drown many. This fulfills the Greek idea of Justice as Menelaus’ men were the greatest perpetrators of the pillaging of the temples.
The Herald’s news makes it clear that the returning king is alone, and thus will be easier for Clytemnestra to kill. Menelaus’ presence in Argos would have made it nearly impossible for the lady to murder Agamemnon without having herself also killed.
Another function of the Herald is his praise of the returning king, Agamemnon. He tells the chorus, its leader, and the queen of their king’s great achievements. He also reminds them to treat the long abroad commander as he deserves to be treated. The Herald builds up Agamemnon’s character in order to make his eventual fall that much more shocking and affecting.
This secondary character exposes and brings to mind many things that are going to happen later in the play. He brings an element of the common person to the play as well. Since the play is entirely about the royal couple, this was a smart move by Aeschylus, to incorporate an Argive warrior into the play’s structure.
On the surface, the Herald is representative of the common warrior returning to his home after a decade of battle in the Trojan War. He left a young man and is returning much more mature. He expresses what all of the Greek warriors must have felt upon their return to their homelands, places they hadn’t seen in over ten years. He praises the gods for the blessing that he now may die and be buried in his own dirt, rather than in wretched Illium. He praises the gods that fought against the Greeks saying:
“At Scamander’s banks we took our share,
your longbows brought us down like plague.
Now come, deliver us, heal us - Lord Apollo!”(Agamemnon, line 501)
The Herald’s version of the Helen and Paris story is probably reflective of what was actually thought by the men fighting against Troy. He justifies the destruction of Troy, including the destruction of the temples, because Paris was deserving of all of it due to his kidnapping and raping of Helen. The truth of the consensual relationship is unknown to these men.
“Convicted of rapine, stripped of all his spoils,
and his fathers house and the land that gave it life -
he’s scythed them to the roots.” (Agamemnon, line 525)
The message Clytemnestra sends the Herald away serves to show the cunning nature of the queen. She weaves into it foreshadowing of her intentions and hints as to her true feelings, all with a mask of an overjoyed wife. She says things like “Why prolong the story? From the king himself I’ll gather all I need.” This places a dark idea in the mind of the audience, who know the queen’s eventual intention. Also, to the Herald she speaks what I consider one of the best lines of the play. With complete sincerity (though false), Clytemnestra sends a message to her husband:
“The people’s darling - how they long for him.
And for his wife,
may he return and find her true at hall,
just as the day he left her, faithful to the last.” (Agam. line 600)
She speaks more about how she could no more betray him than “dye bronze”, but as we were later shown, she kills the king with a bronze weapon in the end.
The Herald brings news of the fallen or lost Greek warriors and leaders. When asked of Menelaus, he falters, not wanting to ruin the grand moment of being home and being apparently safe. Eventually, he tells Clytemnestra that Menelaus and his ships were lost at sea. This news ties up a loose end left when the Greeks destroyed the temples of the gods within the city walls of Troy, fulfilling the theme of Justice within the Greek drama. Greatly angered by this violence against them, the Olympians blow the returning Greeks off course, and drown many. This fulfills the Greek idea of Justice as Menelaus’ men were the greatest perpetrators of the pillaging of the temples.
The Herald’s news makes it clear that the returning king is alone, and thus will be easier for Clytemnestra to kill. Menelaus’ presence in Argos would have made it nearly impossible for the lady to murder Agamemnon without having herself also killed.
Another function of the Herald is his praise of the returning king, Agamemnon. He tells the chorus, its leader, and the queen of their king’s great achievements. He also reminds them to treat the long abroad commander as he deserves to be treated. The Herald builds up Agamemnon’s character in order to make his eventual fall that much more shocking and affecting.
This secondary character exposes and brings to mind many things that are going to happen later in the play. He brings an element of the common person to the play as well. Since the play is entirely about the royal couple, this was a smart move by Aeschylus, to incorporate an Argive warrior into the play’s structure.
posted by Brian at 11:18 a.m.
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