The play Agamemnon involves a variety of characters who introduce and contribute to some of the play's major themes, such as justice and revenge. While the play is dominated by Clytemnestra and the Chorus, we are introduced to different angles of the story by minor characters, such as Cassandra and the Herald. The diversity of characters plays an important role in Aeschylus' drama, as they provide the audience with multiple perspectives on the central concepts of the plot. With the introduction of each new character, new ideas arise, leaving the audience with the understanding that the characters have different opinions or knowledge about the events that take place throughout the play. The play lacks stage action, but maintains audience interest by allowing audience members to interpret each character's points of view. The difference in perspectives adds depth to each character and dramatic interest to the play, as well as complexity and variety to the dominant themes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Early in the play, we learn that there is a difference in the characters' beliefs regarding justice and revenge. When discussing Iphigenia's sacrifice, we can see that there is a difference in perspectives between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, giving the audience insight into the nature of both characters. Agamemnon believes that the sacrifice was performed as an act of justice, but Clytemnestra refuses to agree. Agamemnon committed this act in order to appease the nature god, Artemis, who was angry with him "after the army of the Danaans killed a hare." After killing the animal, the army faces strong winds which interrupt their journey to the city of Troy. So, Iphigenia was sacrificed to appease the god. The controversy over whether this act was acceptable was between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, barely including Cassandra. In the play we see that Agamemnon placed duty before family. He describes that his heart would be "heavy" whether or not he killed his daughter, but in the end he felt that he could not be a "traitor" to his fleet. His act was done in the name of justice, but simultaneously follows the common Greek belief that "learning comes through suffering." Using this ideology, we can tell the story of how Agamemnon felt that the suffering he would face, due to the sacrifice of his daughter, would allow him to repent of the sin of upsetting Artemis. In contrast, Clytemnestra believes that the murder was an act of murder and not a sacrificial procedure. She claims that Iphigenia “did not deserve” to be betrayed. Clytemnestra especially expresses her disagreement when she affirms that it is Agamemnon who deserves to suffer, for having agreed to commit this act. Here, the difference between the characters' perspectives is evident. Additionally, Cassandra adds a very interesting perspective to the play by introducing the theme of family and connecting this theme to issues of justice. She states that Clytemnestra "shares" Agamemnon's guilt for his murder, since she herself commits the murder of a member of her family – her husband. Cassandra's role ironically demonstrates an idea that the Greeks believed in: "Revealed to this man's descendants / Is this the price of carelessness." The correlation between this belief and Cassandra's statement shows how evil acts can affect the entire family. This idea closely follows the theme of revenge in the play, as seen for example in the murder of Thyestes' children. THESacrifice of Iphigenia allowed Clytemnestra to believe that she had to act against her husband. Every event affects the family as a whole. Cassandra underlines this idea by prophesying that Agamemnon's son will seek revenge. Cassandra allows the audience to understand that revenge and family are closely linked. With all the different perspectives presented here regarding Iphigenia's death, the audience must decide which character to support. The disagreement also touches on the difference between social classes. Throughout the play, the audience is exposed to the different morals of royalty and the people, and this divergence adds to the dramatic intensity of the play. We can further see a difference in perspectives on the theme of justice later in the play, when the Chorus questions whether Clytemnestra's act of murder was in the name of her daughter or for power. The queen believes that the murder brought justice to her daughter and was therefore a necessary act, but the chorus disagrees. After the queen confesses her crime, they believe her "mind is unbalanced" and mourn their king. They are dismayed by Clytemnestra's actions, but also believe that Agamemnon's death will bring justice to the children of Thyestes, who died at the hands of Agamemnon's father. This realization surprises the audience, as it may just be about doing justice to Iphigenia. The Chorus recognizes that although Clytemnestra's actions were shocking and deserved retaliation, they balanced the "scales of justice" for another incident. The personification of justice in the phrase "Justice bows against those who must learn / By suffering" allows the audience to visualize a scale with justice and suffering on opposite sides. If we compare this with the opinion of the Chorus, we can assume that the Chorus believes that Clytemnestra balanced the scales of justice: thanks to the suffering of Agamemnon, the children murdered by Atreus were avenged. On the other hand, the Chorus also suggests that the suffering is not over and that the Queen has not yet paid for her mistakes. At this point, it is clear that Clytemnestra does not care about the words of the old men of Argos, because she feels that she has done her duty. Here, the difference in perspectives gives us insight into the character's beliefs and Greek culture. In the play, Cassandra not only reiterates the theme of revenge, repeating events that have already taken place, but she also foreshadows the revenge that is yet to come. come. In her short appearance on stage, Cassandra remembers all the events that took place in the name of justice and revenge, from Helene's kidnapping to her own death. She claims to be aware of the "centuries-old wrongdoings" that took place in the castle, reminding the audience that vengeance and justice have taken their toll on several characters. Before her death, Cassandra prophesied that someone would come to Argos and "seal these murders" in her family's name, once again focusing on the relationship between vengeance and family bloodlines. This allusion is intriguing and ambiguous for the audience, who turns their attention to who will return and what actions they will take. Through several characters, the audience is exposed to different forms of justice, such as that inflicted by the gods. The different shapes add variety to the theme of justice. The character Cassandra tells the Chorus that she possessed the gift of prophecy before deceiving Apollo. She then explains that after his "offense", the god made sure that people no longer believed his prophecies. Thus, we see that Cassandra believes the curse was punishment for her actions – an act of revenge or justice..