The sculpted medallion near the top of Bridge Hall depicts an eagle, a hare, a snake, and a lion cub. These animals appear as symbols in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, in the parodos—the first song recited by the Chorus as they enter the stage. This parodos has been extensively studied, as it is the longest in any surviving Ancient Greek tragedy.[1]
The Chorus recounts a prophecy suggesting Greek victory in the Trojan War: a pair of eagles devouring a pregnant hare. These powerful birds symbolize victory for the Greek brother kings, Agamemnon and Menelaus, seeking to destroy Troy. However, their victory will not be pure: the devouring of the pregnant hare and killing of her “unborn brood” is a bad omen.[2] The goddess Artemis was upset with Agamemnon and had stranded the Greeks at Aulis with strong winds. Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia, so that Artemis will allow the Greeks to advance toward Troy. The killing of the mother hare and her young are representative of the offense committed by Agamemnon against a mother and child—Iphigenia and his wife, Clytemnestra.
The prophecy then warns of a “lurking snake,” waiting at home, with “wrath unreconciled” and “resentment for a murdered child.”[3] The snake symbolizes Clytemnestra, who will kill Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter. The Chorus also sings that Artemis loves “the tender new-born cubs of lions bold,” and the child of every beast.[4] Her love for the young offspring of animals explains her anger at the eagles devouring the unborn hare. It also elucidates why Iphigenia would be a favorable sacrifice. Iphigenia is the tender, innocent cub of the bold lion that is Agamemnon.[5]
In our Bridge Hall medallion, the eagle is the domineering figure in the center, grabbing the hare’s ear with its claws. From below, the snake curls over the hare protectively. It watches the hare with its mouth open, appearing anguished at the scene. The lion claws upward on the right, perhaps trying to escape. The lion’s head is turned back toward the eagle, scratching him with its left arm. The lion’s mouth has fallen open, too.
The medallion brings the symbolism in the Agamemnon prophecy to life. The large size, central positioning, and striking texture of the sculpted eagle invokes the power of Agamemnon over the other characters. The eagle faces forward, coming outward toward the viewer. In contrast, the hare and the lion cub try to escape on the sides, but are trapped by the circular border of the medallion. This mirrors the inescapability of Iphigenia’s death at the hands of her father. And interpreting Clytemnestra as the mother-hare, this could also represent the inescapability of the maternal grief Clytemnestra is to face due to Agamemnon’s actions. Her response is portrayed in the lurking snake. Though the snake curls over the hare at the bottom, it is unable to protect the hare from being caught by the eagle flying above. The snake can only watch as the hare is caught, as Clytemnestra was powerless to prevent the sacrifice of her daughter. The snake cannot save the hare, as Clytemnestra could not save her own daughter.
References:
[1] Aeschylus, Agamemnon, trans. Philip de May (Cambridge University Press, 2003), 4.
[2] Aeschylus, “Agamemnon.” In The House Of Atreus: Being The Agamemnon, Libation-Bearers And Furies Of Aeschylus, trans. Edmund Doidge Anderson Morshead (Simpkin and Marshall, 1889), 8-9.
[3] Ibid., 9.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Alternatively, the lion cub may represent Helena. In a later stasimon, Helena is symbolized by a lion cub: for her harmlessness and innocence when young, and for the destruction she would later bring upon Troy.