1) This is the speech Cassandra makes after her crazed dance on the beach. She is speaking to her mother, the former queen of Troy:
"O mother, crown my head with victor's wreaths; rejoice in my royal match; lead me to my lord; nay, if thou find me loth at all, thrust me there by force; for if Loxias be indeed a prophet, Agamemnon, that famous king of the Achaeans, will find in me a bride more fraught with woe to him than Helen. For I will slay him and lay waste his home to avenge my father's and my bretheren's death. But of the deed itself I will not speak; nor will I tell of that axe which shall sever my neck and the necks of others, or of the conflict ending in a mother's death, which my marriage shall cause, nor of the overthrow of Atreus' house; but I, for all my frenzy, will so far rise above my frantic fit, that I will prove this city happier far than those Achaeans, who for the sake of one woman and one man's love of her have lost a countless host in seeking Helen. Their captain too, whom men call wise, hath lost for what he hated most what most he prized, yielding to his brother for a woman's sake-and she a willing prize whom no man forced-the joy he had of his own children in his home. For from the day that they did land upon Scamander's strand, their doom began, not for loss of stolen frontier nor yet for fatherland with frowning towers; whomso Ares slew, those never saw their babes again, nor were they shrouded for the tomb by hand of wife, but in a foreign land they lie. At home the case was still the same; wives were dying widows, parents were left childless in their homes, having reared their sons for others, and none is left to make libations of blood upon the ground before their tombs. Truly to such praise as this their host can make an ample claim. Tis better to pass their shame in silence by, nor be mine the Muse to tell that evil tale. But the Trojans were dying, first for their fatherland, fairest fame to win; whomso the sword laid low, all these found friends to bear their bodies home and were laid to rest in the bosom of their native land, their funeral rites all duly paid by duteous hands. And all such Phrygians as escaped the warrior's death lived ever day by day with wife and children by them-joys the Achaeans had left behind. As for Hector and his griefs, prithee hear how stands the case; he is dead and gone, but still his fame remains as bravest of the brave, and this was a result of the Achaeans' coming; for had they remained at home, his worth would have gone unnoticed. So too with Paris, he married the daughter of Zeus, whereas, had he never done so, the alliance he made in his family would have been forgotten. Whoso is wise should fly from making war; but if he be brought to this pass, a noble death will crown his city with glory, a coward's end with shame. Wherefore, mother mine, thou shouldst not pity thy country or my spousal, for this my marriage will destroy those whom thou and I most hate."
Loxias = long haired Apollo, the god of sun and poetry
Agamemnon = one of the Greek kings who laid siege to Troy and then claimed Cassandra as his concubine
Achaeans = Greeks
--> What is the dramatic impact and function of Cassandra? How does she make the audience feel? Why? Who does she consider? Whose perspective does she present? What does she reveal thus about war? How is she connected to the original functions of drama as a festival? What else can you say about her? Would you want her as a wife, a sister, a daughter?
2) This is Andromache, the wife of Hector, who was not only the son of Priam and Hector and so a prince of Troy but one of Troy's bravest warriors during the Trojan war. Here Andromache too is speaking to Hecuba (as well as to the audience of course):
"Hear, O mother of children give ear to what I urge so well, that I may cheer my drooping spirit. 'Tis all one, I say, ne'er to have been born and to be dead, and better far is death than life with misery. For the dead feel no sorrow any more and know no grief; but he who has known prosperity and has fallen on evil days feels his spirit straying from the scene of former joys. Now that child of thine is dead as though she ne'er had seen the light, and little she recks of her calamity; whereas I, who aimed at a fair repute, though I won a higher lot than most, yet missed my lick in life. For all that stamps the wife a woman chaste, I strove to do in Hector's home. In the first place, whether there is a slur upon a woman, or whether there is not, the very fact of her not staying at home brings in its train an evil name; therefore I gave up any wish to do so, and abode ever within my house, nor would I admit the clever gossip women love, but conscious of a heart that told an honest tale I was content therewith. And ever would I keep a silent tongue and modest eye before my lord; and well I knew where I might rule my lord, and where 'twas best to yield to him; the fame whereof hath reached the Achaean host, and proved my ruin; for when I was taken captive, Achilles' son would have me as his wife, and I must serve in the house of murderers. And if I set aside my love for Hector, and ope my heart to this new lord, I shall appear a traitress to the dead, while, if I hate him, I shall incur my master's displeasure. And yet they say a single night removes a woman's dislike for her husband; nay, I do hate the woman who, when she hath lost her former lord, transfers her love by marrying another. Not e'en the horse, if from his fellow torn, will cheerfully draw the yoke; and yet the brutes have neither speech nor sense to help them, and are by nature man's inferiors. O Hector mine! in thee I found a husband amply dowered with wisdom, noble birth and fortune, a brave man and a mighty; whilst thou didst take me from my father's house a spotless bride, thyself the first to make this maiden wife. But now death hath claimed thee, and I to Hellas am soon to sail, a captive doomed to wear the yoke of slavery. Hath not then the dead Polyxena, for whom thou wailest, less evil to bear than I? I have not so much as hope, the last resource of every human heart, nor do I beguile myself with dreams of future bliss, the very thought whereof is sweet."
--> How do you think the audience is meant to respond to Andromache? What is her function in the play? What kind of woman is she? Why is that important? What dilemma does she present here? What character(s) in the play does she particularly provide a stark contrast to? What happens to her later?
Cassandra provides a different female perspective in the play. She makes the audience feel repelled by her. This slight aversion to Cassandra is due to her willingness to confront or endorse violence. Although, she is determined and focused, which is respectable. Regarding war, Cassandra reveals the implications it has on the losing side. War has aftershocks, which affect the living, those left behind, or those unable to fight.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Sherrick, Comment #1
Andromache appeals to logos by giving an alternative perspective of death. She invokes hope within the audience. She offers some relief to all the damage that has been done so far throughout the play. She is a noble woman; this is important because although she is not a warrior, she is strong and deals with grief in an uplifting and positive manner. She provides a stark contrast to Hecuba, who is fragile and damaged.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Sherrick, Comment #2
Cora Davis
ReplyDelete1. When she said “rejoice to my royal match” I felt her sarcasm but also her hopelessness. Being royal, as opposed to being a common citizen, is made to be glamorous and something that people desired to be. Her dramatic reaction to getting married is powerful and shines a light on the reality of being a wife to royalty. She was promised virginity and is now forcefully committed to be raped the rest of her life. Her reaction as excited poked at the culture of society and the role of women in it. Tradition said rejoice for the newlyweds when the realities of the marriage were not always something to rejoice about. She represents all women who are, at that time, seen as overly dramatic, overly sensitive, and either judged for their “sexual power” or used as sexual objects for the husband’s pleasure. When she says “crown my head with the victor’s wreath” she is pointing at the true price of being a royal wife.
At the same time she discussed the benefits of war. “Whoso is wise should fly from making war; but if he be brought to this pass, a noble death will crown his city with glory, a coward's end with shame.” She talked about the positive side of war is that it births heroes. It was interesting to read that coming from a victim of war. She may view herself a one of wars hero’s.
At the end she said “Wherefore, mother mine, thou shouldst not pity they country or my spousal, for this marriage will destroy those whom thou I most hate.” She reminded her mom not to sorry because in the end, justice will be served. With her gift to see the future she knew what the true outcome of her current misfortune would be. She revealed the realities of war in this sentence too. Both sides of the groups of people at war are impacted negatively and both sides loose.
This speech reminds of a protest speech. She says what many other woman may not have the courage to say. She represents a woman who has nothing to lose and is free to say the truth about the tragedy.
2. After she spoke, the chorus responded with, “thou art in the same plight as I; thy lamentations for thyself remind me of my own sad case.” Her mourning was relatable to the people and they were allowed to mourn and not judge themselves about it thanks to her example. She is a mother who just lost her son to the ruthlessness of war and power. She is important because she talks about the role of a wife in the household. She does not agree with being remarried and expressed her feelings about that. “I do hate the woman who, when she hath lost her former lord, transfers her love by marrying another.” I don’t think that was a common thought at the time. It represents her loyalty and true love she experienced with Hector. It also humanizes woman, and shows that woman have deep feelings, not just over the top feelings. She does not want to be remarried but she is forced to be married to Neoptolemus. Which basically means she will be raped the rest of her life like Cassandra. She provides a contrast to Cassandra in how she responds the marriage. She is not fake rejoicing; she is straight forward about how she feels about the marriage.
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ReplyDeleteAlecia Colwell
ReplyDeleteCassandra's character plays an important role, because she exemplifies the type of woman to rise above her circumstances and take action in order to further her goals. She is not going to lay down, and meekly take the fate that has been dealt her, she intends to exact revenge. She knows she is going to die, and her life from this moment on will be miserable, but she tries to reassure her mother that despite this, she is going to make things right again (at least according to her). She probably makes the audience uneasy, and yet excited because she signals that real dramatic action is going to take place. She seems to reveal about war that war itself is a perpetual cycle of revenge, a cycle that she is going to perpetuate.
Andromache is meant to be sympathized with, at least by the women in the audience. She presents a valid, and probably relatable at the time, problem: should she anger her master and endanger her own life by staying faithful mentally to her first husband? Or in the interest of self preservation and a chance at stability, should she embrace her new husband and try to create a new life for herself? This seems very relatable, which causes me to believe that she is the type of woman that values self preservation and practicality. Andromache provides a stark contrast to Cassandra, because she does not even consider killing her new husband, or exacting revenge, rather she considers blending in and creating a new version of herself.
Great responses! Thanks for doing this. As you are responding, look over everyone else's responses (for this exercise--it may help you later formulate thoughts when you consider a character, which will be the subject of your response paper), and perhaps interact with one another. As you consider Cass & Androm think about the mothers and daughters (and fathers and brothers) in the audience. What kind of "womanhood" does Andromache represent and what has happened to her? Think about the play as a whole and Helen. What is Euripides doing in presenting Andromache as a virtuous suffering wife?
ReplyDeleteCora's point about war producing heroes is a good one: we still remember these names because they suffered. If they hadn't they would be lost in the annals of time. Alecia's point too about women taking action is a really good one: Euripides presents a kind of pre-feminism at the birth of democracy. With Dani's point about Cass's repellent nature, we need to keep in mind the fear element of tragedy. Nia stresses the plot. Aristotle did too. remind me to talk about this :)
Cassandra is initially bothered and saddened by the thought of losing her virginity to Agamemnon, and this thought solidifies as the foundation of her fragility. In this speech, we see her overcome with complete madness and a thirst for retribution against the Achaeans. This moment in the play might even make the audience feel uncomfortable because Cassandra seems to be rejoicing the fate that has been set for her, which is not the ideal reaction one would expect. Beyond her instability however, the audience can accept that Cassandra is a foil to most other Trojan women; she is facing the war and the Achaeans with a forcefulness that will avenge the atrocities inflicted upon her crumbled city. Cassandra foresees her fate in death, a prophecy she is alone accepting and seeing. This is another factor that sends her further into her spiral of madness.
ReplyDeleteAndromache is a noble woman and provides a stark contrast against Cassandra. While Cassandra is cold and maddened, Andromache searches for hope in her new fate as she attempts to remain righteous and just. She presents the dilemma of her future, where she is to bare a new husband. She is torn between the decision of yielding to her new husband, and offending the dead, or "hating" her new husband. I think her speech is important for the audience to hear because it is one that paints a very realistic dilemma.
-Erin S.
1.In this passage, it appears to me that Cassandra is serving as a personification of vengeance. She represents all of the anguish and sorrow that is felt by all Trojan women. Cassandra is a jarring presence for the audience. As a character, we have seen multiple sides of her, but this a moment in the play where we catch a glimpse of her dark side. The other women in the play have not had a chance to overcome the horrors of war. Although Cassandra is being made into Agamemnon’s slave, she is taking it as an opportunity to seek revenge for all Trojan's, not just the trojan women.
ReplyDelete2. "Hear, O mother of children give ear to what I urge so well, that I may cheer my drooping spirit. 'Tis all one, I say, ne'er to have been born and to be dead, and better far is death than life with misery. For the dead feel no sorrow any more and know no grief; but he who has known prosperity and has fallen on evil days feels his spirit straying from the scene of former joys. Andromache's initial first few lines really show the audience her character’s disposition and her difference from Cassandra. Whereas Cassandra is consumed by revenge for the fallen, Andromache is sorrowful yet filled with some hope. She is a loyal woman, both to Troy and her husband, Hector but realizes what she must do moving forward and accepts her fate but not without first weighing her past and future against one another. Eventually, Andromache’s child is taken and killed, and she is remarried to an Achaean.
Justin
Really good point about the personification. In medieval drama, characters do become personifications of virtues, vices, and human emotions. The gods too in a way are personifications of forces that humans cannot control so that drama is an exploration of those forces.
DeleteJordan A:
ReplyDelete1. What is the dramatic impact and function of Cassandra’s speech? How does she make the audience feel? Why? Who does she consider? Whose perspective does she present? What does she reveal thus about war? How is she connected to the original functions of drama as a festival? What else can you say about her? Would you want her as a wife, a sister, a daughter?
Cassandra’s speech is made to reassure her mother that despite the cruel fate she is given from the war (being Agamemnon’s “wife” until she perishes), she says that the marriage itself will undo those that have wronged them. She has foreseen that she will kill those whom she hates most only because she is married to the King, so even though she will continue this hardship, there’s irony here in that her revenge will only come through the marriage that caused that feeling in the first place. We as the audience are meant to be horrified by this I think because of the terrible fate she knows she must endure, but I think we also can feel some hope in that we know now that Cassandra will get her just desserts in the end. This paints war as an ugly picture where there are no real winners; not even the victors of the war since we now know that they too will die because of this in the future. As for Cassandra herself, I would love to be related to her in some way because she seems like a fighter. Even after years of being forced to know what the future holds while never being able to stop it, she still tries to do what she thinks is just despite this.
2. How do you think the audience is meant to respond to Andromache? What is her function in the play? What kind of woman is she? Why is that important? What dilemma does she present here? What character in the play does she particularly provide a stark contrast to? What happens to her later?
Andromache here is trying to illustrate to Hecuba that the people she’s crying over are dead and therefore do not feel any pain nor do they have more tragedy awaiting them. She tells Hecuba that she’s better off crying over her since she still has to live through slavery to another man who will be forcibly taking her away from her love, Hector. The living have to go on and face more hardship while the dead (such as Polyxena) can rest. She is can be seen as serving a sort of function to tell not only Hecuba about the fate in store for the survivors of war, but also to tell the audience what happens to those who have lived through war and have to keep living after it’s over. I cannot think of a character to which she is the polar opposite, but she does share dissimilarities with Cassandra in that while they both are forced to serve as slaves/concubines Cassandra fights against her fate and eventually dies in the process while Andromache marries another, becomes Queen of Epirus, and dies of old age. They are similar characters, but how their stories unfold is different.
1. Cassandra;s speech appeals to the audiences emotions when she constantly talks about death, and the left behind wives and children. Related to drama, plays were mostly utilized to trigger emotion. Her thoughts on war acknowledge that it affects the dead and the people living after. Cassandra also displays sarcasm, shes not happy with her fate, but has accepted it.
ReplyDelete2. Andromache is very much so into gender roles. She constantly rants on the do's and dont's of a wife. She touched on re marrying and house chores. She also looks at death as something that should not be cried over because life is about living and dying. She explains that death is a release from the sorrows of the land. She is stuck in the middle of moving forward or respecting the dead. I believe that Andromache more so cares about making it to see another day rather than morals.
Really good point about Androm's focus on gender roles. Remember that in ancient Greek society, women dwelt in a different realm than men: they kept the inner part of the house and maintained the women's quarters. A wife's role was to produce strong sons--and marriageable daughters. Andromache has done all this and still been punished.
Delete1. Although, Cassandra is the Trojan prophetess and daughter of Hecuba, her role in Troy represents the focal point of the plot involving the Trojan women. Because of the gift she has it quickly draws the audience's attention to each character lives. Cassandra makes the audience feel relevant to her visions that marked pivotal moments crucial to each one of them. I would rather have Cassandra as a sister because of her beauty and intangible gift. She would be able to pass it down to her children.
ReplyDelete- Ebonee'
Nia Byrd
ReplyDelete1. Cassandra speech delivered the dramatic impact of expressing just how much Cassandra has suffered. It delivered this moment of clarity to audience that though she has suffered at the hands of Agamemnon it would be at her hands he would fall. Though no one outside the audience would believe the truth. I would want Cassandra as a family member in general, she will be bring back the honor that was lost during the Trojan War. This speech provides the perspective of a gypsy as well as the feelings of a liberated woman. I say liberated because I imagine that Cassandra probably felt defeated at one point. Then once she got her vision she felt liberated from this misery. A message to the audience is that though the Gods may strike against they sometimes can fix their mistakes.
Nia Byrd
ReplyDelete2. Andromache is the complete opposite of Cassandra in accepting her fate. The audience is supposed to mourn with her because they too realize it could be them. Especially when even a Princesses and wife of a great warrior can fall at the hands of the Gods. I think her function is to be a source of emotional pull, since many may have lost someone to war. Then to women who loved their husbands imagining being forced to lay with the son of your husband’s murderer. She is the symbol of the cycle of war the vicious end results of war for women. I say she is a woman who loved with all spirit therefore this may have made her weak for her time. Since your only claim to stability if not a God was marriage. She shows strength though by rejecting this marriage. By conveying there is still pride in the memory of Troy.
Philip:
ReplyDelete1. Cassandra wants the audience to recognize horror of war especially for a war fought for all the wrong reasons. Why? Because it destroys the normal routines of life. War disrupts life. War destroys family life. War makes wives into widows and leaves children fatherless. Even the dead are dishonored. As a priestess, her role is to predict the future and call the community to reach for its highest ideals. Because she was cursed not to be believed, Euripides could have Cassandra prophesy the future setting the stage while showing and telling what the outcome would be or could be if the society chooses the dark side of human nature. Yes, I would affirm Cassandra in any capacity as wife, sister or daughter because it is the 'woman' who gives life both to men and to society.
2. Andromache's function is to be the binary opposite to Cassandra. Whereas Cassandra paints the big picture, Andromache draws a portrait of the cost to the individual in war. The audience is meant to respond with revulsion at the idea that there is anything noble in war. Andromache is not afraid to speak truth to power. Andromache is taken prisoner of war and becomes one of the war's spoils. She is taken away being robbed of all of her original identity. She becomes the mother of Greek sons. She represents ultimate defeat. Her ability to create life takes on a new shape, that of the victor.
1. Cassandra is the voice of vengeance as well as faith in the gods even when disaster has struck, which goes along with the original intent of the drama at Festival Dionysia. Despite the fact that her promise of virginity was broken and the curse that no one believes her prophecies, Cassandra still contains this power. Her speech evokes a powerful sense of patriotism for the Trojans as well as pity for those that have fallen, and made me as an audience listen and side with her plight. She reveals the side of the victim of war, focusing more so on those that have died literally and family members that are dying to know whether the soldiers are coming home. Cassandra mentions that those died shall never be forgotten, but this seems to be more of an afterthought to comfort as opposed to being her main argument.
ReplyDelete2. Andromache is a thought provoking character to the audience; she provides an alternate perspective upon the traditional roles of women, that were most likely not questioned by men and women alike. These roles are just something to be followed, but they are never really explained why or are questioned. She is a woman who is loyal enough to her husband to defy her society, and that shows the strength of her will and character, which also happens to be her dilemma. Andromache provides the contrast to Cassandra, who (seemingly) happily accepts her fate, though it appears to be a cover up for future revenge.
Jared Holewinski (I know my last name is different)
ReplyDelete1. Cassandra, unlike the other women who were captured from Troy who view themselves as victims, becomes an aggressor instead. For when she says "for this my marriage will destroy those whom thou and I most hate", she plans on using her marriage to destroy those who destroyed Troy. She is using her marriage, something that would usually be seen as something desired or beautiful, as a form of revenge and a weapon. In a way, she is using it to inflict war, something she hates. In this way, she makes the audience feel nervous or even frightened of her, as she is showing a darker side not shown by other woman in the play.
2. Andromache here is a stark contrast to Cassandra. Where Cassandra holds thoughts of vengeance for all Trojans in her heart, Andromache is holding thoughts of grief and hopelessness. She shows how war affects the individual, especially when she is forcibly being married to someone she knows she will not love since she is still loyal to her husband. Where some would find hope in being married to royalty instead of being a mere slave or concubine, she decides she won't "beguile [her]self with dreams of future bliss". She makes us provoke our thoughts and makes the audience respect her more with her loyalty and strength of will by showing us how war affects the individual and the new perspective she gives us on the role of women.
1. In this excerpt, Cassandra is an example of a person who takes matters into her own hands after showing how brutal war can be for everyone whether you were a regular citizen of even if you were promised to a god. I believe she is referring to her marriage to Agamemnon in a positive light not only to express the extent of her madness but to also show that with this marriage she has an opportunity to avenge Troy. She also signifies the original functionality of drama with her torch, dancing, and singing because that was close to the rituals that people would partake in to honor the gods.
ReplyDelete2. As for Andromache, she heavily judges other women who might become loyal to their new husbands because of her own faithfulness as a widow. She begins to see the women who become disloyal widows as worse then the true enemies that made them widows in the first place. Not only does this humanize her in the way that the audience sees her as a human being with a loyalty to her love but it also inspires pride in the audience for her faithfulness. The dilemma that she brings to light is that of loyalty to ones homeland/husband/etc or loyalty to yourself where you can adapt and survive. She is a stark contrast to Helen who is not seen as a faithful woman.