A Portrayel Of Women In The Or

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intelligence and wit, while exulted in a man, are threatening characteristics in a woman. In the kingdom, Clytaemnestra has been having an open affair with Aegisthus. The chorus, who acts as the voice of the common man, and therefore the voice of morality, condemn her for this affair even though it is common practice for men in ancient Greece to have many extramarital affairs themselves. In this way Aeschylus condones the double-standards thrust upon the women of the time, but he also, perhaps unwittingly, sets up Clytaemnestra as the antagonist of the plays. In breaking away from the traditional female role, she sets up the scenario for the entire story to unfold. Clytaemnestra is thus the driving force behind the conflicts of the trilogy for it is her actions that spark the debate between the Furies and Apollo over whether or not Orestes is just in committing matricide.
Where as Clytaemnestra breaks with female tradition, Electra is the preserver of the status quo. Because ...

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