The following questions are intended to foster discussion about the play that is grounded in the plot, characters and themes presented to us by Aeschylus in Agamamenon.
1.How would you describe Agamemnon's character? What events in the play or background information inform your sense of the kind of person he is?
2. Why does Clytemnestra kill Agamemnon? Is there a difference between her explanation of her motives and the motives you can see behind her actions?
3. What obligations does Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have in the context of the play? What is the source of these obligations? Do these obligations provide the characters with clear direction about how they should act?
4. Does Agamemnon deserve his fate? Is Clytemnestra guilty of murder? Can we think about guilt or innocence in an absolute sense or do we need to see their actions in relation to the moral order of Argos?
5. Who do you think has the best judgment in the play?
6. The ancient Greeks understood speech to be the essence of political life. A number of different types of speech and problems with speech are presented in the play. Discuss some of the different examples of speech you see in Agamemnon and what Aeschylus might be saying about the relationship between speech and politics.