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Thyestes Notes
Thyestes Notes
stage ghost different from other characters - in what sense can Thyestes be read as
a dramatic supplement to, or commentary on Aeschylus Agamemnon
Tantalus - context of curse
Atreus - antagonist
Thyestes - victim
Aegisthus is only surviving son of Thyestes - lover of Clytemnestra Vengeance - thirst for revenge stronger than hope for his own good fortune - let it fall
even on me, so long as it falls on my brother - twisted impression of justice - you do
not avenge crimes unless you surpass them - tyranny - this is the greatest value of
kingship: the people are compelled to praisetheir masters actions - rejects
ASSISTANTs proposal of what is honourable - apparent revenge for stealing his wife
and golden ram - nothing is certain - except my brothers enmity - look to Tantalus
and Pelops: my hands are called to follow their examples - cruelty - slaying is for a
lenient tyrant; in my kingdom death is something people beg for - performs evil for
accomplishment - Odrysian house saw an unspeakable feast - monstrous, but
already taken - no faith in innocence - ;you fear their becoming evil? They are born
so - you will deceive the very people by whom you plan to deceive others?/Yes, so
they may be free of guilt - deceitful - come cling about my neck - psychopathic in
the way he can so easily change his personage - twisted in that he kills his nephews
as if a ritual - clearly feels his actions are higher than they are - he himself is priest which shall he sacrifice first to himself - megalomaniacal
Continuation of story line - same family - references to children eaten by father in
Agamemnon
Reversal of motivations for revenge between As Aga and Ss Thy - first has cause of
infanticide, latter has result of infanticide
Apparent revision of the nature of good against bad - in Thyestes, he is clearly good
(humility), but evils are performed against him. A commentary to show that crimes
are not always performed against the guilty as in Agamemnon (murders daughter)
Both betrayals initiated by interactions with the gods (Atreus vows to sacrifice best
lamb to Artemis) (Agamemnon kills Iphigenia to appease Artemis wrath)