ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the heroines of Greek tragedy whose characterizations best illustrate the fifth-century dramatization of the conflicts faced at the intersection of power and gender. As the heroines’ ambitions to power intensify and their will to be the “master” of their own fates increases, so too the tragic nature of their lives becomes more poignant. This is most evident in Klytaimnestra’s tragic rise and fall. In all cases, the heroines’ lives are complicated not only by the laws and customs constraining their behavior in the mortal world, but also by their understanding of what is decreed by the gods, which often brings them into direct conflict with family members. However, tragedy goes one step further in its presentation of the struggle between mortal and immortal, with the gods also playing an active role in the heroines’ lives. Throughout, however, the artistic skills of the tragedians present us with very real human female characters grappling with issues that modern audiences can identify with, even though their lives are acted out in ancient mythical times.
