The fates of Clytemnestra and Cassandra

Abstract

A majority of classic Greek and Roman literature focusing on the subject of the Trojan War and its characters portray a male dominant society in Bronze Age Greece. Homer's Iliad follows the heroes Achilles and Hector, while his Odyssey traces the journey of Odysseus on his way home to Ithaca. However, important female characters are either given short page time or are described in a negative light. My goal in completing this thesis is to give voice to the women who were portrayed in a negative way and to offer possible explanations leading up to this portrayal. I also hope to show that although men fought the war, women had to suffer the consequences. Clytemnestra, as queen of Mycenae, was left alone in her kingdom for years. She watched her husband comply with the sacrifice of her eldest daughter in order for the Greeks to win a victory over Troy. Cassandra knew the future of events, but she could not find believers to help prevent the fall of Troy. After the fall, she became Agamemnon's concubine in a foreign land. Because a majority of the Greek plays and poems are tragedies, neither woman's life has a happy or fulfilling end. It is not my goal to change this, but to give possible explanations as to what led to their fates. In writing The Fates of Clytemnestra and Cassandra, I hope to give readers of Greek and Roman literature and Trojan War enthusiasts another perspective on one of the greatest wars in literary history by showing the trials of these two important women.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2009

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Hemschemeyer, Judith

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Degree Program

English

Subjects

Arts and Humanities -- Dissertations, Academic;Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Humanities

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022360

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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