Aristotle (384-322 BC believed that tragedy, as an imitation or mimesis of life as it could be, had more The importance of history, which simply records the past He felt that the performance of a tragedy offered a perfect cathartic experience to the audience, leaving them spiritually purified and inspired. He felt that the spectators seeing and experiencing great difficulty arrive at the. hero or heroine of the play would reach this emotional state and benefit from it The tragic hero, according to Aristotle must be essentially good and be of high or noble birth The misfortune which precedes their fall must arouse compassion and pity. tragic hero must experience an adventure. Two of the Greek tragic heroes (heroines) were Medea and Clytemnestra They share characteristics that Aristotle considered essential for the heroic character in a tragedy They are both of high rank, Medea is a princess. and a witch, and Clytemnestra was the de facto ruler of Argos in Agamemnon's absence. Their stories initially sparked sympathy, but hamartia and pride played a key role in each woman's downfall. Both suffer a significant twist as victims of their overly passionate nature. Clytemnestra is obsessed with the desire for revenge following the death of her daughter at the hands of her husband, Agamemnon. While Clytemnestra's passion is revenge, Medea's is her unreasonable love for Jason, which turns into seething hatred. Clytemnestra's journey begins when Agamemnon sacrifices their daughter, Iphigenia. Heartbroken and grieving, Clytemnestra plots revenge for her daughter's death. She has been obsessively planning her husband's murder for so many years that it becomes a fait accompli. Clytemnestra welcomes her return with a big... middle of paper ... it must be done, -- do it without flinching. Whatever I do, my life will be unhappy. I will arm my heart with callousness and take the sword in my hand...try to forget that they are my children and that I love them. I only need to forget for a short while. And then I can remember my whole life. (Medea, p. 343, 344). Revenge is at the heart of the Greek tragedies Agamemnon, the first play of the trilogy Oresteia (Aeschylus (525 - 455 BC) and Medea (Euripides (431 - 480 BC). The protagonists in each play, women engage in d 'horrible acts of revenge against their husbands Both characters – Clytemnestra and Medea – are simultaneously heroines, villains and victims. Works Cited Corrigan, Robert W. Classical Tragedy, Greek and Roman: 8 Plays in Authoritative Modern Translations. accompanied by critical essays New York, NY: Applause Theater Book, 1990. Print..