Drama and theatre in the ancient Greek world expresses the communities" concerns in regards to their ambitions, fears, hope and their deepest sympathy. In Greek drama, playwrights often included pivotal female roles, despite the fact that the cast was strictly male. The role of women in ancient Greek life is deemed irrelevant compared to that of Greek men, however, in tragedies, women are often written as major characters, revealing important insights on the perceptions and treatment of women in society. For a woman to possess qualities such as leadership and strength is not typical, in fact it is seen as masculine and un-ladylike. Many Greek plays contain several complex female characters; Aeschylus is a playwright whom incorporates a very complex female character, Clytemnestra in his play Agamemnon. Although Clytemnestra is one of the most recognizable and noted female villains due to her involvement in the murder of her husband and his concubine, one can argue that her actions are justifiable. Whether her vengeful actions are triggered by the death of her daughter Iphigenia, her love for Aegisthus or the jealousy of her husbands mistress Cassandra, either is motive enough to make her turn to evil.
In the play Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is more powerful and intelligent than any of the men in the play. Clytemnestra is portrayed as a strong willed woman seeking revenge on her husband for the murder of Iphigenia, a crime that is less of a concern than the regain of Helen and punishment Troy. It is evident that Clytemnestra is not the typical Greek woman of her time as she is described by the watchman as "male strength of heart" (11). The Queen's main motive is a mother's revenge overcoming "wifely loyalty and womanly shame".1 The sacrifice of Iphigenia to Clytemnestra cannot be justified since she possesses traditional female values and this drives her to scheme and plot her husband's murder.
