The Tragic Hero in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon Based on Aristotle’s Poetics
...his moral choices are, and a "good character will be one whose choices are good." For Aristotle, character is determined not by birth but by moral choice. But though a common man may act nobly, the one thing that a tragic protagonist cannot be is common. Ordinariness in a person belongs to the sidelines in a tragedy – seen in the Chorus. The tragic protagonist is always larger than life, a person whose decisions determine the fate of others and has the power to shake the world. Agamemnon has this goodness, seeing how he fulfilled his role as King of Argos in the war in order to defend his people. However, the tragic hero cannot be perfect. To see a completely virtuous person fall from fortune to disaster would only provoke anger at such an injustice. In the same manner, the fall of an evil person is seen as appropriate punishment and does not arouse pity or fear. The best type of tragic hero, therefore, exists "between these extremes . . . a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation." The term hamartia, which Golden translates as "miscalculation," literally means "missing the mark," taken from the practice of archery. Agamemnon is seen as neither completely virtuous nor villainous. He can be considered virtuous in a sense that he is a King – a good king, to say the least. And he fought bravely in the war against Troy, making him heralded as a hero. But he also has a less admirable side. He once tricked Aegisthus’ (Clytemnestra’s lover) father Thyestes into devouring his own children, and he sacrificed his own daughter for the good of his fleet – which for him was a noble cause. Nevertheless, he committed acts against his family. Hence, we can say that Agamemnon is neither good nor bad, but for whatever bad thing he did – he had a noble cause and he believed that he was doing the right thing. In relation to this, Agamemnon’s fall had the ability to invoke pity and fear – another important characteristic to be looked into in a tragedy according to Aristotle. Fear and pity may be aroused by spectacular means, but they may also result from the inner structure of the piece, which is the better way, and indicates a superior poet. For the plot to be so constructed that, even without the seeing the action, anyone who hears the tale told will thrill with horror and be moved to pity at what takes place. In the Agamemnon, the actual murder of the King is not actually shown – only shrieks of the dying Agamemnon were heard, followed by the appearance of the menacing Clytemnestra, lustily retelling how the blood splattered all over her clothes. Actions capable of invoking fear and pity must happen between persons who are near or dear to one another – and not enemies or people indifferent from the character. Because when an enemy kills an enemy, it is expected and thus there is nothing to excite pity or fear. But in Agamemnon, it is a wife that killed her own husband – and that is enough to magnify just how horrible the act was. Indeed, the incident was effective in invoking fear of Clytemnestra and pity for the helpless Agamemnon. Hamartia, as mentioned earlier, is the Greek term for ‘tragic flaw’ which is also necessary of a tragic hero. This flaw is a characteristic that, in excess, causes him to bring disaster upon himself. Often this flaw or error has to do with fate a character tempts fate, thinks he can change fate or doesn't realize what fate has in store for him. More accurately, hamartia is an error in judgment. Agamemnon’s decision to sacrifice his daughter in exchange for fair winds and his acts against Thyestes demonstrates the fatal error in judgment that eventually led to his fall. How did these acts by Agamemnon lead to his death? Here is where vengeance comes into play. Clytemnestra, Queen of Argos, though considered as a dangerous woman, is someone with a deep, inconsolable pain. This pain is caused by Agamemnon’s sacrificing their only daughter ten years prior to the action of the play. This event, more than anything, serves as the key to Clytemnestra’s character – because someone as deeply wounded as she is could kill with so little remorse. Thus, during her ten year wait, her heart has spoiled and died within her, leaving only anger and resentment towards her husband. And eagerly,...