... up in two scenes that are designed to show his hubristic character: 1. Agamemnon's Decision: Iphigenia or the Trojan War The horrors of killing Iph. like a sacrificial animal are weighed against the shame of losing the faith of his warriors. He chooses the latter to avoid loss of honor or time (lines 205-247). The judgement on his action is clear: "he changed, and from the heart the breath came bitter and sacrilegious, utterly infidel" (lines 219-220). But Greek society did value success in war and the increase of honor. Hence when Ag returns home, even though the chorus has been cursing him earlier, all is forgiven because he returns victorious. (See the Chorus' speech at 351-474) On the other hand, society puts a check on outrageous excess with the concept of divine punishment for being too hubristic. This leads to a somewhat schizophrenic mentality. The imperative is to achieve, but not too much. Difficult ...

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