Compare and Contrast the Characters of Agamemnon and Jason. Which Do You Think is More Deserving of Their Fate?

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Callum Davis                                                                                              

Compare and Contrast the Characters of Agamemnon and Jason. Which Do You Think is More Deserving of Their Fate?

        Both Agamemnon and Jason share intrinsic similarities in that they are both the tragic heroes of their plays: Aeschylus’ ‘Agamemnon’ and Euripides’ ‘Medea’ respectively. However, they do not share the same fate. Agamemnon is killed for what he has done, whereas those close to Jason emotionally and politically are killed to spite Jason.

        Both characters are detested by their wives, but for different reasons. Agamemnon has sacrificed his daughter and Jason has left his wife to marry entirely for personal gain. Agamemnon’s motives were that he had to fulfil his oath to help the husband of Helen should she ever leave/be taken. His motives were better than Jason’s, who left his wife for his own gain. Medea had two sons so he could not justify leaving her because of childlessness. However, Jason has not killed anyone, which Agamemnon has. Also, leaving a wife would not have been uncommon, and so it is not as significant as it would be had the events taken place today.

        Both characters thank the gods for their successes. When Agamemnon first arrives on stage he thanks the gods for his victory and safe return home. When Medea challenges Jason and attacks him for what he has done to her, despite all she has done to help him, he claims that although she did do some things, the one who helped him the most was Aphrodite. Both Jason and Agamemnon are either not arrogant or stupid enough not to thank the gods for their achievements.

        All four parties, Jason, Agamemnon, Medea and Clytemnestra have deceived their counterpart at some point. Agamemnon sends for Iphigenia without telling her or Clytemnestra what he plans to do. Jason does not tell Medea about his marriage to Glauce until after it has happened. Medea has to lure Jason into a false sense of security and so apologises to him, telling him he is right and she wrong and that she was angry. This prevents him from suspecting her. Clytemnestra deceives Agamemnon by welcoming him home. Even Agamemnon thinks she is exaggerating, saying that she is “grovelling” and that the “speech to suit (his) absence, (was) much too long”.

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        Both Agamemnon and Jason are insensitive. Neither refers to his wife by name. Agamemnon only refers to Clytemnestra as “Leda’s daughter”. They expect everything they have done to their wives to be ignored and everything to be left without any mention of what they have done. Jason goes as far as saying that Medea should be thanking him when she confronts him. He says that she lives in Greece, rather than “an uncivilised country”, and had also “won renown.” In saying that he would rather not have “gold in (his) house) or the skill to sing a song lovelier than ...

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