Pichugina V. K., Mozhajsky A. Yu.
DOI: 10.32691/2410-0935-2019-14-119-136
Information about author:
Victoria K. Pichugina, Doctor of Science (Pedagogy), Leading Researcher, Institute for Education Development Strategy of the Russian Academy of Education. Russia
E-mail: Pichugina_V [at] mail.ru (Pichugina_V[at]mail[dot]ru)
AndrejYu. Mozhajsky, PhD, docent, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Russia
E-mail: a.mozhajsky [at] mail.ru (a[dot]mozhajsky[at]mail[dot]ru)
Abstract . Aeschylus’ tragedy Agamemnon is an original poetic version of the return of Mycenaean king Agamemnon to Argos after a ten-year Trojan campaign. Aeschylus addresses the events that unfolded after the flame of a signal fire was seen in Argos, which meant that Troy had fallen and, probably, Agamemnon would soon return to Argos with his army. In a specific way, this flame “lights” three more fires, which are no longer connected with the military communication. These are the lights of the altars that Clytemnestra lights, the fire of the hearth and home that Agamemnon seeks, and the fire of Cassandra’s prophecies. These three lights form a chain of instructions, uniting the main characters of the tragedy into a kind of “parent triangle”, where each of them once had to choose between a virtue and a victory, the choice that later would affect their children. Aeschylus built this chain in order to show the mechanism of learning through suffering that immortals used towards mortals. Acting like the gods, Aeschylus’ heroes threaten each other with this kind of instruction and are afraid to end up in the position of a child wandering between knowledge and ignorance. This is reflected not only in the texts, but also in the material culture, in which there exist different images of the victorious Agamemnon.
Keywords: Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Trojan campaign
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