Mycenae Lookout: Key Quotes

“Mycenae Lookout: Key Quotes”

Past and Present

• “Agamemnon’s kingly echo fades.” Here, Heaney creates an image of the past fading away, an echoing reminder of the ancient times and the mythological legend of King Agamemnon.

• “Clytemnestra’s rusts and clings.” This line links the current scene with the past, invoking Clytemnestra’s treacherous act. The notion of rust and cling creates a sense of decay and a relentless past.

Violence

• “A ground for sacrifice and augury.” The quote exemplifies the violence present in ancient times, either through physical combat or ritual sacrifice. It establishes the setting as a place heavy with history of violence.

• “If a god should come, a trapdoor on the woman’s bed.” This quote underscores violence in a domestic context, highlighting the inherent danger and potential for violence in the ordinary and everyday.

Perspective and Premonition

• “What am I to do, love, with my looking?” This phrase demonstrates Heaney’s perspective as a wary observer, haunted by his knowledge of the unfolding tragedy as well as his inability to change its course.

• “On the tundra-toned Aegean, clear and cold.” Here we see Heaney’s anticipation of the chilling events to follow, giving a sense of premonition while also illustrating a vivid and stark vision of the scene.

Mortality and Eternity

• “Agamemnon dead and Cassandra dead.” Heaney states the expected outcomes plainly, emphasising the inevitability of death in a resigned, matter-of-fact manner.

• “Time has not withered it, nor the thousand years.” Despite the decay, the past remains alive in Heaney’s narrative. The powerful illustration of the relics’ resilience acts as a reminder of life’s ephemity and history’s imminence.