Module 15

Final Exam Notes from Module 13 - 22

Pelops

Atreus Tantalus and Pelops, Pelops son of Tantalus, and cooked by his father
Tantalus invited gods to a banquet, and prepares his son
Demeter eats a piece of his shoulder, and repulses
she is a civilizing goddess, some say bring an end to cannibalism
Pelops is restored to life with a marble shoulder
some say he is taken awya by Poseidon as his lover
links house of Atreus to the gods, and exemplifies hubris and curse for the family

Pelops leaves Asia Minor to go to Elis in the Peloponnese to win Hippodamia, daughter of king Oenomaus
he must win a chariot race, and thirteen suitors failed, the king kills suitors he caught
it is said he may have got help from Poseidon, or bribed Myrtilus to take linchpins from the wheels of Oenomaus’ chariot
King Oenomaus crashes and dies in pursuit

Pelops is not given Hippodamia as a prize, and Myrtilus tries to rape her, but Pelops discovers it and throws Myrtilus off a cliff
Myrtilus curses Pelops and his descendants
in mythology qualities of good and bad run in families
Pelops becomes king and has sons with Hippodamia, Atreus and Thyestes
the brothers fight for the kingdom, which was fortold by a oracle
it is said whoever gets a ram with golden fleece will get the city
Pan brings the fleece to Atreus, but Thyestes steals it by sleeping with Atreus’ wife Aerope, who gives it to Thyestes

Thyestes became the first king at Mycenae
Atreus later returns and banishes Thestes
Atreus takes further revenge, pretends to reconcile, invites Thyestes to a banquet and kills Thyestes’ sons, except for Aegisthus
feeds them to Thyestes
Thyestes does not notice until he has eaten, and curses Atreus
motif of cannibalism as well as curse on family

Agamemnon, son of Atreus
Agamemnon becomes king of Mycenae and married to Clytemnestra, two daughters, Iphigenis and Electra, son Orestes
Agamemnon and Greeks go to war in order to revenger the fact Helen, wife of Agamemnon’s brother Menelaus was taken away by Paris to Troy
troops father at Aulis but winds too strong to sail
winds caused by Artemis, because two of Agamemnon’s hawks attacked and ate a pregnant hare
to appease he will sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia
he chooses to kill Iphigenia for the army and sake of revenge
Clytemnestra is furious with her husband

return home is play by Athenian playwright Aeschylus
Clytemnestra plotted with one remaining son of Thyestes named Aegisthus to murder Agamemnon upon returning home
they welcome him, then throw a net over him while he is in the bath and stab him, other versions at a banquet
Clytemnestra also mad he Agamemnon brings home Trojan prophetess Cassandra, who she also kills
is Clytemnestra’s actions understandable when she killed her husband when her husband killed their daughter?
curse of previous generations is present as the son of Thyestes, Aegisthus helps Clytemnestra get revenge on the son of Atreus, Agamemnon
is Agamemnon entirely at fault, he sacrificed his daughter to not be ashamed in front of the Greeks and one must follow the divine Artemis or the curse will be on all

Clyemnestra and Aegisthus gain control of Mycenae
Orestes who was away, learns of his fathers fate, and returns to take revenge
with the help of Electra, he murders Aegisthus and his own mother Clytemnestra
cycle of family revenge
avenges the honour of his father
Orestes is pursued by Furies who avenge parricide
he seeks purification at the temple of Apollo in Delphi
some versions, purification does exculpate him from guilt, Aeschylus’ version Athena only grants absolution when he casts the final vote when the Athenian jury is deadlocked
Athenian courts in justice and divine punishment and absolution
Electra becomes major character in later fifth-century tragedy, two plays written about her in Sophocles and Euripides