Great Books Ep 65. Aeschylus - Agamemnon, Part 5. The Unseen Battle: Mental Health and Societal Responses
Great Books Ep 65. Aeschylus - Agamemnon, Part 5. The Unseen Battle: Mental Health and Societal Responses
The modern society has made a lot of advancements, but still, there is a lot of stigma against suicide.
“Come, some quick death, but rack me not with pain, Nor keep me long abed; Let me thy opiate drain; That brings the eternal sleep”
~ ‘Agamemnon’ by Aeschylus (G. M. Cookson translation. p67. line 1448)
Brief Summary (Lines 1250 - 1673/end):
Cassandra continues talking to the Chorus and reveals the details of Agamemnon’s imminent murder and her own death. She also foretells Orestes’s future vengeance. She is reluctant to enter, saying that the house smells of blood, but she enters the palace nonetheless. A little while after she enters, the Chorus hears Agamemnon’s cry. They realize that the deed is done but are unsure what to do. They discuss amongst themselves, with each person suggesting some different action while time passes, and they end up doing nothing except standing there.
In the next scene, Clytemnestra is shown standing over the bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra. She justifies her deed by saying that it is a masterpiece of justice and that she has avenged her daughter’s death. The Chorus is shocked by her lack of remorse and says that a thousand curses shall blight her soul for her deed. Clytemnestra says that Agamemnon deserved it since he lusted after every woman in Troy and his house was already cursed because of his father’s ill deeds.
While arguing, Aegisthus enters and says it is a day of justice. He explains that Atreus, Agamemnon’s father, had outlawed Thyestes, Aegisthus’s father and Atreus’ brother, since his power was challenged. But later, he recalled Thyestes from exile, pretended to be friendly and offered him a lavish meal. The special dinner was prepared from the body parts of Thyestes’ infant children whom Atreus had killed. Thyestes vomits upon hearing this and curses Atreus. Aegisthus says that Agamemnon deserved death because of his father’s deeds. The Chorus blames Aegisthus for taking part in the murder and mocks him, saying he was not man enough to slay Agamemnon in a fair fight. Clytemnestra urges Aegisthus to disregard the Chorus’s howlings, saying that the kingdom is theirs and they will be happy going forward.
My Thoughts:
Agamemnon is dead. I knew he would be dead before even the play began since it was already mentioned in the Odyssey. But death is still difficult to process whether you’re reading or watching a movie or in real life. Knowing about someone’s death in real life stops us in our tracks and makes us think about ourselves.
I came to know about a person’s death last week. I don’t know who the person is and may never know. Someone said it was a suicide, someone said it was due to a medical condition, someone said it was due to stress, and someone said it was due to mental illness. This made me think a lot, miss writing a post last week and even miss wishing Easter to others.
The modern society has made a lot of advancements, but still, there is a lot of stigma against suicide. Also, people have a greater curiosity about a person’s life when they die of suicide (I recently learnt that the term ‘committed suicide’ puts the blame on the person). The first thought we get when we get to know of a person dying by suicide is not ‘I feel sad for their family’ but ‘What happened? Why did the person do it?’. In the absence of answers, we try to speculate and put a lot of partially known pieces together to form a narrative, which generally involves blaming - the work, the society, the government or even the family.
I was also thinking of the families who want to hide the nature of death. If there is a lot of societal stigma against suicide, say if the local church would not allow the family to bury the dead in the same cemetery as others and if the family has to bury the person elsewhere, then it would be better off for the family to lie and say that the person died of something else, say a stroke. But if the person who died was a main breadwinner and if insurance doesn’t pay, the family might not get the support from people around them that they could have if they knew the truth. Being open about lack of money is the biggest shame many people have, and as inflation grows, the threat of joblessness grows, people are saddled with more and more debt and driven towards extreme measures.
Death by suicide or killing is never the answer, but grief is a huge mountain to climb, and shame is much larger, and many people don’t have the strength to climb on.
Other Quotes/Thoughts:
Contempt for the mentally ill
“They called me stroller, beggar, mountebank,
Poor drab, poor half-dead starveling; evil names”
Mental illness can manifest in many forms. When it shows up as depression and the person is sad, people are usually sympathetic. But when it shows up in many other forms that don’t quite align with the expectations of the society around the person, say in the form of seeing things that are not there or talking without filters or compulsive behaviors, people are not quite sympathetic, I think. In fact, people don’t understand; they vilify and stigmatize. There are so many disorders of the mind that are only coming to light now - Anxiety disorder, PTSD, ADHD, schizophrenia, OCD, MPD, eating disorder, etc. I feel that most people don’t care about understanding the complexity of the mind. They usually oversimplify things, find a singular cause, ascribe things to gods, lack of faith, etc.
Unattainable Happiness
“Oh, state of man ! Thy happiness is but
The pencilling of a shadow,—Misery
With a wet sponge wipes out the picture!”
Thousands of years ago, people realized that man cannot be happy. And yet, we’ve always been chasing happiness. Happiness is not a destination, it is a state of being. The more we are in that state, the more we can accomplish. Happiness is the springboard from which progress can be made. Excellent writing, art, air travel, the Internet, space travel - most great things happened during times of peace and the general absence of unhappiness.
Retribution
“This is the finish of an ancient quarrel,
Long brooded, and late come, but come at last.”
It is mentioned in the play that Agamemnon’s son Orestes would come and avenge his father’s death by killing Aegisthus and taking the kingdom back. We know that it happens in the story from reading The Odyssey. But in real life, things may not pan out that way. What if Orestes was not able to defeat Aegisthus? What if Aegisthus and his descendants continued to rule Argos for generations? With each passing generation, Orestes’ descendants mount bigger and more violent attacks against the kingdom, and what if they keep losing? Even after ten or fifty generations, is there ever going to be a prospect for peace, no matter who mediates? Orestes’ descendants will always believe that they are the victims since their enemy lives in their home and would stop at nothing to get it back and would probably never surrender for anything less. Rational and practical thinking has no place when it is a matter of principle and emotion. After many generations, Aegisthus’ descendants are innocent of things of the past and seek to live peacefully. They might be ready and want to share, but their enemy might want no sharing but destruction. I think many, many communities across the world harbor grudges against the former peoples that defeated them, and the wounds become deeper with each generation because of increased communication, misinformation and myth creation.
Seeking consensus in decisive moments
"While we are trifling with the time,
Procrastination the armed heel of Crime
Treads under; neither doth their sword-hand sleep!"
Does consensus and democracy really work in decisive moments? The Chorus hears the king’s cry and knows that he is being stabbed. They discuss and wait for more stabbings to happen. Someone suggests they summon the citizens, and someone says they should barge in. Someone says just because they heard a cry, they cannot believe that the king is dead and they need proof. They waste time, time passes, and they do nothing except stand there.
Fate shapes and sharpens sorrow
"Yea, Fate that forgeth Sorrow
Now, a new grindstone set;
There, for fresh hurt, her dagger
The Armourer, Justice, whets."
These lines were pretty chilling. Vengeance is coming. Fresh hurt is coming. Once violence is done, there is no going back. There is always fresh hurt.
AI Chatbot Responses
Prompt: I’m currently reading Aeschylus’ play named ‘Agamemnon’. Here is a brief summary of lines 1250 to 1673 and my thoughts on a specific quote that caught my attention. The quote is “Come, some quick death, but rack me not with pain, Nor keep me long abed; Let me thy opiate drain; That brings the eternal sleep”. Though not directly related to the reading, my thoughts were around death by suicide. Provide a response to my thoughts, giving arguments with examples relating them to contemporary issues. Brief Summary: <copy-paste>. My Thoughts: <copy-paste>.ChatGPT
Your reflections on the closing lines of Aeschylus' Agamemnon and the subsequent musings on death, particularly suicide, touch upon deeply profound aspects of human nature and society's evolving but still often inadequate responses to mental health and the stigma surrounding suicide.
Argument: The societal advancements in technology and medicine contrast sharply with the persisting stigma and misunderstanding surrounding mental health issues, including suicide. Despite growing awareness, there's a tendency to seek reasons or assign blame when confronting suicide, reflecting a discomfort with discussing mental health openly and compassionately. The narrative around suicide often focuses on speculation about the individual's reasons rather than addressing the broader systemic issues that contribute to mental distress, such as social isolation, financial pressures, and lack of accessible mental health care.
Example: The recent emphasis on mental health awareness campaigns and suicide prevention hotlines represents progress towards destigmatization, yet the initial curiosity and judgment surrounding suicide disclosures indicate lingering societal discomfort.
Counterargument: However, the increasing dialogue about mental health, the push for more nuanced language (e.g., saying "died by suicide" instead of "committed suicide"), and efforts to understand rather than judge, signal a shift towards a more empathetic and informed society. Many now advocate for open discussions about mental health, arguing that transparency can dismantle stigma, encourage individuals to seek help, and foster a community of support rather than isolation.
Example: Organizations and initiatives like the World Health Organization (WHO) and national mental health campaigns work tirelessly to normalize mental health conversations, promote access to care, and educate the public about the complexities of mental health conditions and suicide.
Regarding the complexities families face in the aftermath of a suicide, your point highlights a crucial ethical and practical dilemma. The stigma not only affects the way the deceased is remembered but can also have tangible effects on the family's social and financial support systems.
Example: Life insurance policies that don't payout for suicide can leave families in financial distress, exacerbating the tragedy of loss with economic hardship.
In contrast, societal pressures to hide the cause of death due to fear of stigma can prevent families from receiving the empathy, support, and resources they need during a time of immense grief. It underscores the importance of creating a society where mental health struggles and suicide are met with understanding and support rather than judgment and isolation.
Example: The growing number of support groups for survivors of suicide loss reflects an understanding of the complex emotions families face and provides a space for shared grief and healing without shame.
Ultimately, your reflections and the dialogue in Agamemnon invite us to contemplate the human experience of loss, the complexities of grief, and the societal structures that shape our responses to suicide. It calls for a continued effort to build a more compassionate society that addresses mental health with the seriousness, sensitivity, and support it deserves, recognizing the dignity and struggles of every individual.
Gemini
Your thoughts on death by suicide prompted by Agamemnon are profound and highlight a complex, deeply relevant issue. Let's break down your reflections and offer some perspectives:
The Shame and Speculation Surrounding Suicide
Cassandra's Choice: The quote you highlight, Cassandra's desire for a quick, painless death, evokes a sense of despair parallel to that experienced by some who contemplate suicide. While she's facing a forced death, her plea suggests a longing for control, escape, and an end to suffering.
The Stigma: You're absolutely right that suicide carries immense stigma. This leads to hushed whispers, blame, and the secrecy you describe. This further isolates those struggling and families left behind, hindering proper healing and prevention.
Our 'Why?' Obsession: The immediate search for 'reasons' after suicide is understandable, but often unhelpful. Mental health struggles are complex; it's rarely one event but a confluence of internal and external factors. Judging and speculating creates more harm than good.
Grief, Shame, and Societal Pressure
Layered Loss: Families of suicide victims face a unique trauma. In addition to the loss itself, they often wrestle with guilt, and the social fallout you describe (judgment, ostracism).
Economic Hardship as a Trigger: Your concerns about financial pressures leading to desperation are sadly valid. Financial struggles can be a huge contributor to mental health issues. Lack of a financial safety net, coupled with the shame of poverty, creates a dangerous environment.
Cassandra vs Modern World: Cassandra had no societal support; she was a captive with a dire fate. Modern society, while imperfect, does offer resources (crisis lines, therapy). Sadly, stigma, lack of access, and shame make them difficult to utilize for those most in need.
Shifting the Focus
Compassion Instead of Curiosity: Replacing the "Why?" with empathy is crucial. Focusing on the person's pain, not the act itself, allows for a more human understanding.
Destigmatizing Mental Health: Open conversations about mental health struggles normalize seeking help. It's as important as addressing physical ailments, and should be treated with the same care.
Suicide Prevention as a Public Health Issue: Just as governments address preventable diseases, suicide prevention requires a proactive, multi-faceted approach (mental health services, crisis resources, gun safety in some countries, etc.).
Final Thoughts
Literature as Reflection: Aeschylus, despite the distance in time, still offers insights into the human condition. Cassandra's despair, though born from different circumstances, can resonate with the isolation and hopelessness faced by many today.
Change Takes Time: Shifting the narrative around suicide is a long-term project. Each small act of compassion, each effort to normalize mental health, contributes to a society where people in pain feel less alone and more likely to seek help.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here are some resources:
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (US): Provides free, confidential support 24/7. Call or text 988.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP): https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ : Offers a list of crisis centers around the world.