Cassandra (Masterplots II: World Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Christa Wolf
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: c. 1200 in the novel
- Setting: Mycenae and Troy in the novel; Athens, Crete, and Mycenae in the essays
- Principal Characters: Cassandra, Priam and Hecuba, Aeneas, Anchises, Panthous, Agamemnon, Helenus, Troilus, Paris, Hector, Polyxena, Achilles (The Brute), Clytemnestra
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Social realism, Historical fiction, Essays, Alternate history, War fiction
- Subjects: History, Mythology or myths, Sexism, Violence, Feminism, Women’s issues, War, Kings, queens, or royalty, Kidnapping, Heroes or heroism, Prophecy or prophets, Greek or Roman times, Utopias, Greece or Greek people, Trojan War
- Locales: Athens, Greece, Greece, ancient, Crete, Troy, ancient, Mycenae, ancient
The Novel
The captive Cassandra stands in Agamemnon’s chariot outside the lion gate of Mycenae, awaiting her death at the hands of Clytemnestra. She knows that Clytemnestra is now killing Agamemnon in the palace. She says as much to the Greek elders who cluster around the chariot, but they, like her own people, do not believe or cannot understand her dire prophecies. She casts aside, as a bitter mockery, the insignia of her rank as a seeress and a priestess of Apollo. What time she has left she spends recalling her past, from the time she enjoyed the status of favorite...
[The entire page is 2504 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
