In class Tuesday we discussed Clytemnestra and her murder of Agamemnon. Why did she do it? Should she be considered crazy? Did she go overboard? Maybe so but...she's a mother.
This won't be a long tangent, I promise. It's more of an illustration. In middle school my dad was my prinicpal, well a teacher who was about to get fired (and knew it) started a rumor about me that made it all the way to the superintendent. She did it to take the heat off of her and put it on my dad. It had no basis of truth at all. My dad said not to worry about it, the superintendent knew it wasn't true and no one was in trouble (except her). My mother on the other hand contacted her and told her that if she ever messed with one of her children again to get to their daddy, it would not be him she would have to deal with. Furthermore, my mother would have had her job if she was not already about to lose it.
All that to say, C did what any mother would do. He sacrificed their daughter and a mother's love and intuition won't allow her to sit by and let that happen. The text says, "Lusting for war, the bloody arbiters closed heart and ears...the girl-voice plead, pity my father! nor her prayers nor tender, virgin years...her father bade the youtheful priestly train. Raise her like some poor kid."
The allusion to animal sacrifice there is heartwrenching. When C kills them both she says, "by the great vengeance for my murdered child"
You can say that she lusted for power, that her greed and comfort in her rank outweighed her reason but the simple fact remains that a mother will kill for her child. Had she grown to love her position? Yes. Was she thirsty for more power? I would say so. But the ultimate reason for killing her husband/king was, in my opinion, revenge for her child. You can say she should have known her place and that revenge doesn't solve anything but...she's a mother.
P.S. I am not saying that every mother who has a child killed should go kill the murderer. I am saying however, that there is a reason for the term "crime of passion."
Commented on Amy's :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that her reaction is something that any mother would do. In this case though, I think she was influenced a little by my friend Artemis, but you'll have to read MY blog to find out more about that.
ReplyDeleteCrime of passion is definitely the way this should be described. Imagine, your child, a piece of yourself falls at the hand of the man that took part in creating it. If that doesn't drive you to move with passion, nothing will.