Hegel’s concept of tragedy applicable on Aeschylus'

Agamemnon
Introduction
History of mankind is history of philosophy. Logic is initiation of Hegel's philosophy. Movement
of history is due to contradictions. When there will be no antithesis in response to thesis, history
will reach to its conclusion.
These are not material forces that fight with each other, instead are ideological fights. Opposite
ideas encounter each other and lead to war, which ultimately give birth to new ideology called
synthesis.
In his philosophy, Hegel did not reject the idea of poetic justice- in which ultimately virtue is
rewarded and evil is punished- in its totality, instead he described it as triumph of ordinary
morality. Morality is demand of rationale, weak and proletariat. If a poor becomes enable to have
justice, these are moments of jubilation which can be equated poetic justice.
It is his metaphysics but it’s a particular kind of metaphysics that tries to disclose the nature of
being through understanding what it is to think properly. It begins from the idea that we can
understand the nature of being through thought.4
Hegel defined tragedy as specific kind of spiritual action, rather than commonly believed that
tragedy is a particular kind of response to actions, and metaphysics of tragedy (By metaphysics
of tragedy we mean moral and spiritual universe that controls tragic action) questioned critical
and ordinary moral emphasis.
According to Hegel, tragedy is the conflict of two substantive positions, each of which is
justified, yet each of which is wrong that it fails to recognize the validity of other position; the
conflict can be resolved only with the fall of hero. Through action of tragic hero, the main
institutions of life, the family and the state come into conflict. In Hegel’s opinion, the essence of
tragedy is conflict, not a moral conflict between right and wrong, but a conflict between
legitimate rights and institutions. Such conflicts shake even the basis, and they arise out of false
consciousness of the tragic hero.
Hegel narrates tragedy as a conflict of the "Ethical substance”. Ethical substance comes
For Hegel not mere sufferings but its causes are also important in tragedy. Mere events are not
important, their narration is also equally important, how they are narrated.
The real essence of tragedy lies in fact that both have justifiable positions, both are true through
their prism, but inspite of it each has opposite narrative and its justification.
In history, one sided positions emerge and they contain with in themselves their limitations
.These positions give rise to conflicts, which are in each case resolvable by death of hero.
History progresses dialectically, through contradiction and negativity, toward an ever more
comprehensive and rational goal.
Conflict between legitimate right and institutions like state is dominating factor. State which is
although structured to ameliorate plight of citizens, but in actuality institution of state is devised
to prevent change. One who demand legitimate right is conceived villain by state and is curbed.
Hero never makes compromises, that’s why forces of state try to destroy him.
Hero acts both for and against the good, his nature is both paradoxical. His nature is both great
and flawed. Indeed, his very greatness is his his flaw. Hero does not remain strict to his
unanimous narrative. He has flexible position, who twists according to circumstances
The hero who alters his position may appear to lack character. Such changes may diminish the
determination and pathos of the character.
For Hegel tragic fate is rational. Reason does not allow individuals to hold on to one sided
positions. Audience are not scared by external fate. They believe that they will be blessed or
cursed only due to their actions. Because each stance is constitution through its relation to the
other, the elimination.
Hegel reinterprets pity as sympathy. This is not only due to sufferings of tragic hero as sufferer
but also hero as one who despite his fall is still justifiable. According to Hegel, we fear the power
of ethical substance, if violated will go against us, and we sympathize with the tragic hero.
Hegelian tragedy has an emotional element. We are torn between the values and destiny of each
persona.
Possibility of tragic collision with in and individual’s consciousness
Hegel believes in tragic resolution. According to Hegel, a tragic hero yields, He should accepts
his tragic flaw. But if he refuses to yield, he is destroyed by very powers, whom he had nurtured.
Clytemnestra in her speech claims “A wife with in his house as true as on the day he left her,
watchdog of the house gentle to him alone, fierce to his enemies “2
When Greeks are on their expedition to Troy at Alius, The Goddess Artimes becomes incensed
with Agamemnon and sends unfavorable winds that prevent fleet from sailing. Now here conflict
arises; either the great expedition, ordered by Zeus must be abandoned or king must sacrifice his
own daughter to appease the goddess. Now it can be seen that Metaphysical forces are at
opposite side. This action earns bitter enmity of his wife who at Argos plans to kill him. To
fulfill her task, she has already a man in her hand to help. Agamemnon’s father, Atreus had long
ago done an act of Sacrilege, murdering his brother’s children and offering them toasted to his
brother. One among them became eligible to escape and now he is ready to revenge. Here
Hegel’s narrative that two opposite narratives give rise to a new synthesis is approved. This
process of thesis, antithesis which gives rise to synthesis is a continuous process, similarly after
murder of Iphigenia, Clytemnestra takes her position and after Agamemnon’s death Orestes
takes his alternative. These bifurcating characters are in their specific lineage, and remain
contrary to each other long way. This conflict between two parties is multi layered. It can have
many interpretations, one among them is gender segregation. One party represents masculinity,
which is of Zeus, Agamemnon and Orestes.While on the other hand is feministic approach
represented by Iphigenia, Clytemnestra and furies.
Aeschylus treated Agamemnon as masculine genre. While Iphigenia is in power, chorus is
jealous by her authority and they are not happy with her being ruler of state. They don’t perceive
her trustworthy. When she broke news of victory in Trojan War, no one believes her, But when
same news is uttered by messenger everyone believes her.
Agamemnon is sent to troy by Zeus and yet she has allowed his miserable downfall? Is this can
be equated as justice? In the play, Agamemnon, murder of Iphigenia, Daughter of Agamemnon
and Clytemnestra, is a source of conflict .Agamemnon is justifiable from his perspective to let
sail winds to save his state while Clytemnestra is true for her motherly love.
It can be called triumph of ordinary morality, because Poetic justice is done in favor of only
strong while in this case an ordinary woman had become capable to take revenge of her
daughter.
Chorus, who represents voice of society and are representative of wisdom, were not in favor to
have war. They we against this idea to have so much brutal and deadly war just for sake of a
woman, Helen. They say “Helen, which is death? Appropriately death of ships, death of men and
cities “and at another point “I will not hide it, in ugly style you were written in my heart”.
Idea of poetic justice is done in the play, although not in totality but as Hegel narrated triumph of
ordinary morality. Chorus in his speech prophecies “Sing sorrow .But good win out in the end”1
Agamemnon in his speech says “My fate is angry if I disobey these, but angry if I slaughter this
child, the beauty of my house “he Agamemnon is directed by gods to kill his daughter Iphigenia,
he is at cross roads. If he does not kill, his ships will not be allowed to sail and his entire army
will remain trenched in ocean .But if he kills his daughter, is wife will become his opponent .here
Hegel’s point, Conflict between institution of state and family occurs.
Chorus in his speech, when Agamemnon enters in chariot, with Cassandra beside him, says “For
many among men are they who set high the show of honor, yet break justice’’3.While man is in
power, he forgets standard of morality. He creates his own standards of justice and morality, as
morality is demand of weak who is unable to protect his rights.
Chorus says “Grant meaning to these appearances good, yet not without evil”. No character is
completely good or bad.
Hegel's philosophy is very insightful, profound and thought provoking.
In modern tragedy individuals do not act for the sake of the substance of ethical life. 5
In ancient tragedy, the conflict at the heart of the substance of ethical life finds expression in
opposed but equally justified characters, each of whom embodies a clear pathos: Antigone versus
Creon, or Orestes versus Clytemnestra.5
In Agamemnon, we are told how an exalted leader, conqueror of troy and chosen seed of Gods
dropped from his position into wretchedness. One who was at time the most favorable to gods,
became abominable for them.
Agamemnon, after his return, in his encounter to Clytemnestra says “God’s most lordly gift to
man is decency of mind"6.This sentence proves Hegel's narrative that logic is the most important
thing to transcend history.
Clytemnestra agonizes Agamemnon by making him walk over red carpet.Appparently she does
to tribute his services of war and to hail him as victorious hero but at same time this is a
sacrilegious act as only gods can move on red carpet, and opinionated gods against him.
Clytemnestra believes in idea that justice is best achieved through revenge “An eye for an eye,”
she believes that more murder can be a possible cleansing for the sins caused by the earlier
murders (Wilson, 2010).
According to Hegel Hamartia is due to characters own faults not by external elements. Fate has
not domineering role in character's downfall. Abduction of Helen by Paris, an act of arrogance,
lead to terrible downfall of Paris and his entire city.
Role of Clytemnestra is a source of conflict for Chorus. She exhibits character of male, at time
when without household chores, women role was considered a sin was when inspite of fact that
she belongs to inferior gender. She performs actions of male like Agamemnon's murder and her
quest to rule Argos. This narrative is also opposite to Cassandras' view that women should be
submissive to their husband and they are not supposed to take part in acts like murder.
Character of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra are ethical conflicts. Agamemnon implies one
standard of ethical priorities while Clytemnestra another standard.
Athenians at the time of Agamemnon showed little or no loyalty to their women and mostly
never involved them in the making of family decisions. The elders in the chorus are fast to
blames Helen for what has befall Argos had termed her to a typical woman who causes trouble
and the one who caused the Trojan war. They are not ready to pass the blame to the man who
kidnapped her simply because he is a man and she has to take the blame because she is a woman.
Apollo with his powers cannot save the prophetess Cassandra from the eminent murder threat
from Clytemnestra, therefore she is very upset. She was cursed to see future events but she
cannot have control over them. The power of the gods is evident when Agamemnon and
prophetess Cassandra are pronounced to death but no human powers are able to change. This
thing shows conflicts among their gods.
In ancient tragedy, the conflict at the heart of the substance of ethical life finds expression in
opposed but equally justified characters, each of whom embodies a clear pathos: Antigone versus
Creon, or Orestes versus Clytemnestra.
Characters possess power of sublimity-to convert something inferior into superior, articulation
power,
Characters are inwardly divided into self.
Agamemnon and Clytemnestra were becoming to independent, hence striking with each other.
Hegel says, if similar justice-as done by Clytemnestra-happens in modern society, it would more
a criminal act than justice
Agamemnon translated by Richmond Lattimore
4..https://fivebooks.com/best-books/hegel-stephen-houlgate/
1...Chorus speech while Clytemnestra enters…line 120
2...Clytemnestra speech…line 606
3...Chorus speech…788
5..https://www.spiked-online.com/2016/04/28/hegel-on-hamlet/
6...Agamemnon speech...line 929
8.. W Roch, Mark. “Introduction to Hegel's theory of tragedy.” phaenex.uwindsor.ca. Jstor, 9
Oct. 2015. Web. 6 Dec. 2018.
<https://phaenex.uwindsor.ca/index.php/phaenex/article/view/222/229>.