Imagery

1
Imagery

• How is nature imagery used?
• How old do these lovers seem to be?
• Is there any gender difference in the way the
  erotic experience is described?

2
New Kingdom Banquet Scene
3
Egyptian Boys Girls At Play
4
Egyptian Girl With Lute
5
The Song of Songs

• Culture Ancient Israel
• Time 1st millenium BCE
• Author unknown
• Genre poetry
• Context
• Theme erotic love

6
Imagery

• What imagery do these poets use to express their
  themes?
• How do these characters know that they feel
  erotic love? That is, describe the effect of
  erotic love on the body in these poems.
• Is there any gender difference in the experience
  of erotic love expressed here?
• Note the similarities to the other ANE poetry we
  have just read.

7
Archaic Greek Lyric Poetry

• Poet Arkhilokhos
• Culture Greek
• Time 7th c. BCE
• Genre lyric poetry
• Context all male ( female slaves prostitutes)
  dinner/drinking parties (symposia).

8
Imagery

• Characterize this encounter between a mature man
  (the speaker) and a young girl.
• How does the speaker describe the girl?
• Is there a gender difference in the experience of
  love here?

9
Masculinity

• How does the speaker portray himself and his life
  in the elegiac poem on pp. 593-4?
• What does this reveal about Greek gender roles?

10
Sapphos Songs

• Culture Greek
• Time 7th c. BCE
• Poet Sappho
• Genre Lyric poetry
• Themes erotic love, religious rituals (including
  weddings). She also composed poems about poetic
  competition, her daughter, myth, etc.

11
Imagery

• What type of imagery can you see in these poems?
• How does Sappho describe erotic emotion? What
  does it feel like? What are its effects on the
  body?

12
Alkaios

• Culture Greek
• Time 7th-6th c. BCE
• Genre lyric poetry
• Context all male symposia
• Themes erotic love, the uncertainty of life, the
  Trojan War, politics.

13
Imagery

• What is Alkaios view of love and marriage, do
  you think, from what he says in his poems?

14
Pindar

• Culture Greek
• Time 5th c. BCE
• Genre praise poetry
• Context celebrations for victorious Olympic
  Games athletes.
• Themes victory, proper behavior (e.g. piety)

15
Aeschylus Agamemnon

• CNE/ENG 120
• 9/22/04

16
Agamemnon

• Author Aeschylus
• Culture Greek
• Time 5th c. BC
• Genre tragedy (drama)
• Names to know Agamemnon, Clytaenestra,
  Iphigeneia, Cassandra.
• Themes nostos, disguise, revelation,
  recognition, revenge, justice, how to live a good
  life marriage, family, gender roles, learning
  through suffering.

17
The Curse of the House of Atreus

• People Dysfunction
• Tantalos murder, crime
• Pelops murder, curse
• Atreus Thyestes adultery, murder,
• cannibalism
• Agamemnon, Aegisthus, adultery, murder
• Clytaemestra
• Iphigeneia, Orestes, Electra murder

18
Imagery

• The accumulated crimes of the House of Atreus are
  represented in the text in imagery of rotting,
  clotted blood/gore.

19
Other important images

• Sacrifice The feast of Thyestes the murder of
  Iphigeneia account for the image of murder as a
  ritual act which appears throughout the trilogy.
  Agamemnon dies in retribution for the 2 crimes,
  and Aeschylus makes this explicit in Cassandra
  Clytaemestras speeches at the end of the play.
• Hunting Imagery of hunting and nets shows the
  connection between Agamemnons death the
  capture of Troy. Clyt. is a dog chasing her prey.

20
The Sacrifice of Iphigeneia
21
The Killing of Cassandra
22
Concrete Action

• Clytaemestra throws a robe over Agamemnon to
  immobilize him before she kills him. Aeschylus
  probably invented this use of the robe and
  Clytaemestras active role in the murder.
• The robe the bonds of Fate.

23
Role of Language (Logos)

• Clytaemestra fools Agamemnon by using language
  and preying on his susceptibility to stereotypes
  about women.
• This is a drama of logos it shows an intense
  interest in the limits and possibilities of
  language. Why? The major institutions of ancient
  Greek society were the political assembly
  (democracy) the law courts, so discussion of
  the best way to use language was v. important to
  how society functioned.

24
Plot

• Agamemnon returns home and Clytaemestra
  Aegisthus kill him.
• What action occurs onstage?

25
Characteristics highly involved chorus, intense
action, interwoven imagery

• Outline
• 1) Prologue (lines 1-39) watchman on roof
• 2) Chorus of elders enters, sees Clytaemestra
  praying sacrificing at an altar. They give us
  information we need re omens and actions past.
  The doer must suffer wisdom comes through
  suffering.

26

• First Episode (lines 270-366) Clytaemestra
  proclaims the Fall of Troy and possible Greek
  sacrilege. Discussion of the light and what it
  means, disagreement between the queen and the
  chorus.
• Second Episode (lines 481-685) Several days have
  passed a herald arrives boasting of the Greek
  destruction of Trojan holy sites. He announces
  Agamemnons imminent return.

27
Subtle Messages

• The chorus hints to the herald that not all is
  well here at home he doesnt hear them.
• Clytaemestra proclaims her love for and fidelity
  to Agamemnon.
• Chorus tells how a wife (Helen) brought misery to
  men. Pride goeth before a fall.

28
Stage Action

• Third Episode Agamemnon arrives onstage in a
  chariot with Cassandra.
• Describe the reunion of Clytaemestra and
  Agamemnon. Romantic? Joyful? Loving?
• What does Clytaemestra insist Agamemnon do? Why
  doesnt he want to? What does he end up doing?

29
The Plot, Completed

• Fourth Episode (lines 1019-1410) Clytamestra
  orders Cassandra into the palace.
• What does Cassandra see? What information does
  she give us?
• What important action takes place offstage once
  Cassandra has gone inside?
• Clytaemestra emerges triumphant. What does she
  tell us?

30
Exodos (1411-1673)

• Why does Clytaemestra feel justified in doing
  what she did?
• How does the chorus react to her actions?
• How is Aegisthus portrayed in this scene?
• At the end, what does the Chorus hope will happen?

31
The Libation Bearers Orestes Revenge