Shoylee 1

Humayra Rashid Shoylee

Sanjida Choudhury

Eng-252

14 August 2018

Influence of Mythological Gods and Goddesses in Mortal lives:

A re-reading of ​Agamemnon ​and ​King Oedipus

​Gods and goddesses were the main administrator of humans in ancient Greek

mythology. They controlled humans lives and fate. There are so many Gods and Goddesses.

Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Zeus they are all gods and goddesses from ancient

Greek Mythology who have been worshipped and prayed to by the people of ancient Greek.

People were strongly believed in them. They keep the gods and goddesses satisfied and

happy and not anger them. They believed that if they anger them gods and goddess gave

curse on them. Gods and goddesses played a vital role in the mortal lives.

In the play Agamemnon, we see the influence of gods and goddesses. Agamemnon

was the story of Trojan war which was started for the god Zeus. Zeus the god of hospitality,

he was angered by Paris the Trojan prince, who was the guest of Agamemnon’s brother

Melenous. Zeus angered by Paris because he broke the law of hospitality. Paris and Helen

wife of Menelaus, eloped from Argos and broke the law of hospitality. therefore, the Argives

were raged to attack Troy as Zeus was their chief god and by taking Helen away, Paris has

disrespected Zeus. To rescue Helen, the Argives did a long battle.

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Another very important part of the play is goddess Artemis’s anger on Agamemnon.

Because, Agamemnon accidentally killed a pregnant hare. she punished him by interfering

with the winds so that his ships cannot sail to Troy. While Agamemnon and his thousand

Argive ships were ready to sail to Troy, she stopped the winds. The seer Chalcus reveals that,

to appease Artemis, he must sacrifice a virgin blood and it must be his eldest daughter

Iphigenia. Agamemnon’s did not had any option so that he sacrificed his daughter life and

goddess Artemis became appeased and sent good winds. At the end of the play, Agamemnon

was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra. She took revenge from Agamemnon for killed their

daughter. If Agamemnon did not sacrificed their daughter life to appease Artemis,

Clytemnestra did not killed Agamemnon.

In the play Agamemnon, another character was Cassandra, whose life was

influenced by the truth and prophecy god Apollo. Cassandra was a daughter of king Priam

and she was a Trojan princess. She was also lover of god Apollo. The truth and

prophecy god Apollo, gave her the power of prophecy. God Apollo fell in love with her and

granted her with the gift of prophecy. When Cassandra denied the god Apollo to consummate

their relationship, he placed a curse on her that no one would believe her words or her

predictions. He gave her a gift that would bring frustration and despair to her. Cassandra was

captured by king Agamemnon as his mistress and slave to Argos. Cassandra predicted her

and Agamemnon’s death. She said to Chorus Clytemnestra plotted to Agamemnon’s

death and her. But no one believed in her prediction. Finally, Clytemnestra killed

Agamemnon and Cassandra. If people believed on her prediction, they could change the

circumstance.

Oedipus, the king of Thebes his full life was influenced by god Apollo. He

destroyed oedipus by directing his fate, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of
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Apollo. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, son of king Laius and queen Jocasta. King

Laius learned a prophecy by Apollo’s oracle at Delphi that one day Oedipus kill his father

and marry his mother. So he left Oedipus to die on a mountainside. But the baby was found

by shepherds and raised by king Polybus and queen Merope as their own. Oedipus

learned from the oracle at Delphi of the prophecy that he would end up killing his father and

marrying his mother but he was unaware of his true parentage. He believed that he was fated

to murder Polybus and marry Merope. So, he left for Thebes . At the way

of Thebes he accidentally killed king Laius who was his actual father. After reached Thebes

he became the king of Thebes and marry queen Jocasta who was his real mother. But he

completely unaware about what he did.

After learn about his real parents, Oedipus doomed himself for the terrible sin which

was done by him. After learned the truth Oedipus uprooted his eyes and became blind.

His mother and wife, Jocasta committed suicide. Oedipus, king Laius ang queen jocasta

tried to changed their fate but they did not success. There is a word that one must submit to

the inevitable. Oedipus the wise king, has never been destroyed by an evil man, but he was

destroyed by gods.

Therefore, gods and goddesses are the supreme ruler of mortal lives. They controlling

people’s fate through many ways. In the play Agamemnon and king Oedipus gods and

goddesses influenced the lives of characters. Gods and goddess can destroy someone life,

they can imperil mortal lives and if they want they can be able to free them from danger.

Mortals cannot run out from the power of god and they cannot change their fate.
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Works Cited

Aeschylus, ​Agamemnon​. Translated by Philip Vellacott, 1956.

Sophocles, ​King Oedipus.​

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