THE ARGOS NEWS NETWORK

STROPHIUS
...should be no clouds overnight, with very clear skies providing an excellent 
chance to see the comet, which will be very bright and visible in the northeast sky. 
(Turns page) And now we continue our series, "Remembering the Trojan War." 
Today marks the third anniversary of the end of the War, and the triumphant return 
of our army from foreign soil. The war had begun ten years earlier when Paris, a 
dignitary visiting this country, insulted his host, General Menelaus, by abducting 
the general's wife, Helen. To return her home, Menelaus assembled the army and, 
with  his brother General Agamemnon as commander-in-chief of the forces, sailed 
off to avenge this slight to his hospitality. Here's Pittheus with a look back on 
the events that began the long bloody war.

PITTHEUS
Of course, you will recall the departure of our troops was not as easy as that. At 
firstthe weather, seemingly by divine intervention, was against our army as it 
sat in Aulis Bay, waiting to put out to sea. Then a prophet, Calchas, proclaimed 
a vision that said General  Agamemnon needed to sacrifice his own daughter to clear 
the weather and to return Helen home.

Such demands are often the will of the gods, but the harshness of this demand, even to this 
very religious reporter, still seems extreme. Perhaps we have learned something during those 
ten years of fighting, when concern over the war here at home split our nation, some cheering 
our armies on, others protesting and demanding an end to the conflict. In any event, when it 
came time for a decision, Iphigenia demonstrated her grand nobility and volunteered for the 
sacrifice. Though what really happened to Iphigenia that day is still a matter of great debate, 
one thing is certain: the inclement weather vanished, and the army sailed to Greece.

During the ten years of fighting in that foreign land, both armies suffered numerous 
casualties. Our anchormen reported the news, accompanied by daily body counts of our 
soldiers and the those of the enemy. In the final reckoning, we lost many soldiers who 
had gained fame from their time as combatants in earlier conflicts. Soldiers such as 
Achilles, Ajax, Diomedes, Philoctetes, fill this roll call of honor, their names now 
no longer on the lips of the living except when their mourners pray over their graves.

There are countless others still unaccounted for: the MIAs, though missing in action, 
are not known to be alive or dead. Among these are Colonel Odysseus and his men; 
though they set off to return home at the same time as Generals Agamemnon and Menelaus, 
they have yet to return to our ports or their families. Hoping against hope, their 
relatives believe they may still be alive somewhere in the world, though no one knows 
where. Strophius?

STROPHIUS
Thank you, Pittheus. Speaking of the return of General Agamemnon, there is a new book 
out this week from Sophistry Press entitled The House of Atreus, in which author 
Hermione Menelaus writes of the tragedies her family underwent after the end of the 
Trojan War. I interviewed her earlier today, and we have that interview on tape.

(The tape rolls.)

STROPHIUS
Hermione, you mention in your book that something happened in Aulis between Clytemnestra 
and Agamemnon that led directly to the horrible events that occurred when he returned 
from the war.

HERMIONE
My aunt Clytemnestra never believed Agamemnon's story of what happened at the altar. She 
thought he was lying, and never forgave him for Iphigenia's death. When the general 
finally left for Troy, she became [beat]   involved with Aegisthus, Agamemnon's cousin. 

STROPHIUS
Involved romantically?

HERMIONE
Yes. He fed her on jealous lies which she was only too happy to believe, and finally she 
decided to kill Agamemnon when he returned. On the day he arrived, she suggested he take 
a bath, and while he sat in the tub, she wrapped him in a wet towel and stabbed him 
repeatedly. Eyewitnesses said that the bath water turned a deep red. Clytemnestra believed 
she had avenged her daughter's death.

STROPHIUS
And everyone thought that was the end of the matter.

HERMIONE
Yes, until a year later, when Orestes appeared. He had been sent away to boarding school 
shortly after the Trojan War began and, on hearing of the murder, returned to avenge his 
father's death. He came to the house in disguise, revealed his identity to his sister, 
Electra, killed Aegisthus, and then killed his mother. 

STROPHIUS
And again everyone thought the situation at an end‹but for Orestes it was far from over?

HERMIONE
Soon after the murder, Orestes went crazy, claiming the Furies, the ancient avenging spirits 
from the underworld, were chasing him. Some, like my father Menelaus, said he went mad, 
because of the terrible murder of his mother. Some said he became psychotic after using too 
many drugs, but there's no record of any drug use on his part, though he had actively 
protested the war. But the Furies really were after him; legend says they persecute those 
who kill a blood relative. As a result,  Orestes fled to Athens, where he was put on trial. 

STROPHIUS
That trial was quite an event! It's rare that the gods, usually so manipulative behind 
the scenes, step forward and get so openly involved in the affairs of mortals.

HERMIONE
That's true; for Orestes' trial, the goddess Athena presided as judge and Apollo acted as 
Orestes' defense lawyer, with twelve mortal jurors. They then deadlocked, six convinced 
of Orestes' guilt, the other six agreeing that he had indeed killed his mother, but to 
rightly avenge his father, and so was not guilty.

STROPHIUS
And then there was the very dramatic end to break  the tie.
HERMIONE
Athena as judge broke it, and the Furies agreed to abide by the verdict, when offered a deal 
by the younger gods to convert their dark powers for good; they would be worshipped not for 
their destructive power, but for the good fortune they could provide. And that for me was 
the most positive event to come out of the whole war, and its aftermath.

STROPHIUS' VOICE
And then what happened to Orestes?

HERMIONE
He was last seen talking with Apollo, and then he disappeared. He went with his friend 
Pylades, who had accompanied him when he returned to kill his mother, in Pylades' boat. 
No one knows where they are now.

(The tape ends; back to STROPHIUS in the studio.)

STROPHIUS
And still know one knows what really happened to Iphigenia that day. Eyewitnesses at the 
sacrifice all swear that she disappeared before she was killed and was taken away by a god. 
But like her brother Orestes, her current whereabouts are unknown. (Turns a page) Tomorrow 
we will present another installment in our series on "Remembering the Trojan War." This 
is Strophius for the Argos News Network.

(News music; fade to black.)