Aeschylus' Agamemnon: Bird Symbolism

In this post, I will explore the repetitive comparison of female characters to birds and I will discuss how these comparison to birds signifies the fragility of characters.

Cassandra is significantly compared to a nightingale by the chorus (1136). The Chorus comments "throughout all her days abounding in sorrow, the nightingale. The Chorus' tone evokes a persistent sadness, and it could be interpreted that by evoking this sad tone, Aeschylus subtly uses the technique of foreshadowing by culminating the Chorus' tone when Cassandra dies, by comparing her to a singing swan. I think Aeschylus' choice of comparing Cassandra to a nightingale and swan are significant for two reasons. Firstly, a nightingale is a small bird and therefore the small size illustrates Cassandra's helplessness. Secondly, the comparison of a swan denotes innocence as a result of the swan's whiteness, and the typical symbolism of white is innocence and pureness. Consequently, the significance of Cassandra's comparison to a swan is only fully understand once she dies, and therefore the comparison of birds to Cassandra denotes her helplessness, fragility and innocence.

In contrast to Cassandra, Clytemnestra in her murder, compared to a raven (1468). The Chorus comments "Perched over his body like a hateful raven, in hoarse notes she chants her song of triumph" (1468). The Chorus' comparison of Clytemnestra to a raven evokes the blackness of the raven, and therefore if we consider Cassandra's white swan comparison, then the black colour of the raven can be interpreted as evoking death and danger. Even though Clytemnestra's comparison to a raven suggests death, the fact she is compared to a bird still seems to suggest an underlying fragility. This suggestion of death is further enforced when Clytemnestra is described as a raven when in the act of murdering.

Finally, I think these comparison of characters to birds can be interpreted within the context that birds are typically seen as symbols or signs from the gods.

Works Cited

Aeschylus. Agamemnon. Trans, Robert Browning. 1889. Perseus: perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0004:card=1468&highlight=raven. Accessed: 27/05/2021.