The Thematic Purpose of the Powerless Underclass in Agamemnon Michael Kliegl

Marx defines the "underclass" as a social group, conscious of itself, that is being oppressed and exploited by the ruling class and thus possesses a common hostility towards this higher class. This concept is reflected in various literature from throughout history and can also be seen in modern societies all around the world. In Greek drama the powerless underclass is, for the most part, disregarded and seen as a mass without individual identities. Yet, in both Greek literature and our contemporary society the lower classes serve very significant purposes. Aeschylus' Agamemnon, in which Clytemnestra murders her husband, Agamemnon, upon his return from the battle of Troy, features an extremely important and meaningful underclass. Besides the simple function of narrating the background of the play, the powerless underclass in Agamemnon, represented by the chorus and the watchman, also serves several important thematic purposes, namely portraying both the disregarded individual and the oppressed masses, as well as emphasizing negative aspects of the main characters by offering a sharp contrast.

One of the purposes of the underclass is that it reflects the situation of the disregarded individuals who lack the power to...