Clytemnestra

Part One and Two

The fifth play in the sextet of The Fall of The House of Atreus, Clytemnestra Pts One and Two, explores the process of being diminished and dismissed; when grief, love and hate is so mixed up and only the pain is enacted on; of  the capability our own dangerous destructive sides being unleashed.

 

Plot Summary:

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Part One:

After Iphigenia's death, orchestrated by her husband Agamemnon so that the Greeks fleet could sail to Troy, Clytemnestra, overcome by the death of her favourite child, has now returned to Mycenae, and must rule while Agamemnon is away.

 

Having hallucinations - or visitations - from her dead daughter, it seems that Clytemnestra is lost to grief until her faithful friend Aniketos, (the disguised Aegisthus, sworn enemy of the House of Atreus and Agamemnon) somehow pulls her out of her grief.

 

Proving an efficient ruler, Clytemnestra rules Mycenae fairly, better even, than her husband, however, unbeknownst to her, Aegisthus has started to takie his revenge on Agamemnon by trying to entice Clytemnestra into his heart and bed, not only because he has always loved Clytemnestra but he plans to marry her and supplant Agamemnon; but also conspires to and removes Clytemnestra's other children, Electra and Orestes from the kingdom and maybe even their own lives. Part One ends with the arrival back of Agamemnon in Mycenae, ten years later.

 

What will happen? Will Clytemnestra forgive the husband that killed her favourite child? Can she go back to being a dutiful wife?  Can she, and should she, forgive her husband for all that he has done to her as a mother and wife? Can she look by as her husband ruins the country that she has ruled so well?  

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Part Two:

Agamemnon has returned from war, bringing Hecuba's daughter, Cassandra with him, and he is in love with her. Agamemnon now plans to rid himself of his wife, Clytemnestra. He does not care that Electra has been banished and sees no reason to bring her back, and, although he morns for his son Orestes, he is planning a new family with Cassandra, as soon as he deals with Clytemnestra. 

Clytmenestra meanwhile tries to go back to being the dutiful wife she once was, however, she, once again begins to see her dead daughter, Iphigenia, who has returned to prompt Clytemnestra to revenge. Clytemnestra resists, but as the country goes downhill under the Agamemnon's disastrous leadership, and as his passion for Cassandra becomes all too obvious, Clytemnestra finally breaks and consummates her desire and love for Aegisthus and it is at that point, that Clytemnestra finally gives in to her long held and bloody revenge with devastating consequences that she has no idea that she is unleashing.

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