wof and its parallels to Agamemnon ( random thoughts)
Sept 28, 2023 21:01:08 GMT -5
𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵 and کیوان like this
Post by sanjaghhak on Sept 28, 2023 21:01:08 GMT -5
I had to read aeschylus's agamemnon (oxford translation) for school & i really didn't like it, until i realized how many parallels wings of fire had to it! these are some of my assorted thoughts 
I will reply to this thread with much much much more elaboration later, I just wanted to get each basic idea that ive had so far down in one place!
Thematic parallels:
The cycle of vengeance and the Daimon inhabiting Clytemnestra - The rivalry between the icewings and nightwings and Foeslayer in the diamond trial
Monarchy and class when it comes to war: the watchman and the heralds experiences - the veterans in arc 2, especially the students and dragons in Possibility.
Oikos vs Polis ( choosing your family or your kingdom ) I'll delineate more below.
Fully oikos motive - fully for the family.
- Helen leaving Menelaus for Paris w/o regard for the potential war it could ( and did!) cause
- Queen Snowfall changing the rules on intertribe relationships so her sister Crystal could return to the Ice kingdom
Both oikos and polis - motivated by familial and kingdom needs.
- Clytemnestra killing Agamemnon as revenge for Iphigenia and to secure her and Aegisthus roles as the rules of the House of Atreus.
- Clay choosing to not stay with his sibs so he does not disrespect Reeds authority but also so he can help fulfil the prophecy
Fully polis - motivated purely by the needs of the kingdom.
- Agamemnon choosing to sacrifice his daughter as she is a virgin so his troops may successfully cross the sea.
- The creation of the eye of onyx and lack of a true sandwing royal lineage so the most appropriate queen may always rule.
Fate versus individual agency - what is and isn't the whim of the gods? In Agamemnon this ties into class and the ability for the elite to use fate as an excuse for violence. - In Arc 1 of WoF the dragonets believe the need to stop the war a certain way ( picking a sister to be queen ) but they find their own solution and take charge of their destiny
Character Parallels*
*I will only focus on Agamemnon and WoF parallels, even if I can draw parallels between two WoF or two Agamemnon characters :3
Clearsight, Cassandra and Clytemnestra
Clearsight and Clytemnestra
- despite the power they all wield, they are overshadowed by the men in their lives. For clearsight this is Darkstalker and Clytemnestra this is both Agamemnon and Aegisthus.
- they both "kill" their former lovers because they believe it is what is best. Clytemnestra does it to hold onto her status and to avenge her daughter and Clearsight does so to save her kingdom. Both of these decisions relate back to oikos and polis which I will talk about later. x3
Clearsight and Cassandra
- they both have the ability of prophecy and struggle with it being a burden
- they both know they are doomed to a predetermined future. Additionally, Cassandra is cursed by Apollo to never be taken seriously by anyone who listens to her and Clearsight is under an enchantment to not see the most dire futures. This again circles back to fate versus individual agency.
Darkstalker and Agamemnon ( and Aegisthus too kind of )
- they both begin with good intentions. Agamemnon goes to war with Paris to "retrieve" his brothers "stolen" wife and Darkstalker wants to take care of his sister and mother and to protect them from his father.
- Agamemnon's killing of Iphigenia marks a change in his demeanor, (the chorus basically says that he's evil now) which becomes the catalyst for Clytemnestra's (understandable) betrayal. Darkstalkers killing of Prince Arctic radically shifts not only Clearsights POV of him but also Moonwatchers. I need to reread Legends: Darkstalker to speak more definitively on how it affects Clearsight, but I know for fact Moon finding out about the disembowelment is what shifts her positive perspective on darkstalker to a more rational one.
- their egos are part of their downfall. ( I will elaborate on this more later sorry )
Prince Arctic and Helen
- Helen began the war by running away w/ Paris, Prince Arctic began the rivalry and war between Icewings and Nightwings when he ran away with Foeslayer. I'm going to sleep now but I might revise this to be Foeslayer and Helen depending on my thoughts post reviewing the books.
yeah ill add a lot more later but these r just my basic ideas.
I will reply to this thread with much much much more elaboration later, I just wanted to get each basic idea that ive had so far down in one place!Thematic parallels:
The cycle of vengeance and the Daimon inhabiting Clytemnestra - The rivalry between the icewings and nightwings and Foeslayer in the diamond trial
Monarchy and class when it comes to war: the watchman and the heralds experiences - the veterans in arc 2, especially the students and dragons in Possibility.
Oikos vs Polis ( choosing your family or your kingdom ) I'll delineate more below.
Fully oikos motive - fully for the family.
- Helen leaving Menelaus for Paris w/o regard for the potential war it could ( and did!) cause
- Queen Snowfall changing the rules on intertribe relationships so her sister Crystal could return to the Ice kingdom
Both oikos and polis - motivated by familial and kingdom needs.
- Clytemnestra killing Agamemnon as revenge for Iphigenia and to secure her and Aegisthus roles as the rules of the House of Atreus.
- Clay choosing to not stay with his sibs so he does not disrespect Reeds authority but also so he can help fulfil the prophecy
Fully polis - motivated purely by the needs of the kingdom.
- Agamemnon choosing to sacrifice his daughter as she is a virgin so his troops may successfully cross the sea.
- The creation of the eye of onyx and lack of a true sandwing royal lineage so the most appropriate queen may always rule.
Fate versus individual agency - what is and isn't the whim of the gods? In Agamemnon this ties into class and the ability for the elite to use fate as an excuse for violence. - In Arc 1 of WoF the dragonets believe the need to stop the war a certain way ( picking a sister to be queen ) but they find their own solution and take charge of their destiny
Character Parallels*
*I will only focus on Agamemnon and WoF parallels, even if I can draw parallels between two WoF or two Agamemnon characters :3
Clearsight, Cassandra and Clytemnestra
Clearsight and Clytemnestra
- despite the power they all wield, they are overshadowed by the men in their lives. For clearsight this is Darkstalker and Clytemnestra this is both Agamemnon and Aegisthus.
- they both "kill" their former lovers because they believe it is what is best. Clytemnestra does it to hold onto her status and to avenge her daughter and Clearsight does so to save her kingdom. Both of these decisions relate back to oikos and polis which I will talk about later. x3
Clearsight and Cassandra
- they both have the ability of prophecy and struggle with it being a burden
- they both know they are doomed to a predetermined future. Additionally, Cassandra is cursed by Apollo to never be taken seriously by anyone who listens to her and Clearsight is under an enchantment to not see the most dire futures. This again circles back to fate versus individual agency.
Darkstalker and Agamemnon ( and Aegisthus too kind of )
- they both begin with good intentions. Agamemnon goes to war with Paris to "retrieve" his brothers "stolen" wife and Darkstalker wants to take care of his sister and mother and to protect them from his father.
- Agamemnon's killing of Iphigenia marks a change in his demeanor, (the chorus basically says that he's evil now) which becomes the catalyst for Clytemnestra's (understandable) betrayal. Darkstalkers killing of Prince Arctic radically shifts not only Clearsights POV of him but also Moonwatchers. I need to reread Legends: Darkstalker to speak more definitively on how it affects Clearsight, but I know for fact Moon finding out about the disembowelment is what shifts her positive perspective on darkstalker to a more rational one.
- their egos are part of their downfall. ( I will elaborate on this more later sorry )
Prince Arctic and Helen
- Helen began the war by running away w/ Paris, Prince Arctic began the rivalry and war between Icewings and Nightwings when he ran away with Foeslayer. I'm going to sleep now but I might revise this to be Foeslayer and Helen depending on my thoughts post reviewing the books.
yeah ill add a lot more later but these r just my basic ideas.
if it isn't too dense & i dont have to have a dictionary attached to my left arm while I read I might as well give it a go!
