Anna’s Reviews > Clytemnestra > Status Update

“She knows that, in moments of pain, some words are spoke with a harshness that is not truly meant. But even so, words can grow roots inside one’s heart. You can bury them, hoping they will wither and die, but roots keep finding something to latch on to.”

“‘Sometimes I fear that I am becoming the person I am pretending to be…’”

“Her words are butterfly’s wings, folding and unfolding in the semidarkness.”

“He is still a man, so some things he will never understand—he will never have to—but Clytemnestra has taught him the most important thing of all: that power alone doesn’t buy you a kingdom.”

“Stories are all she has, so she dissects them until she feels in control. After all these years, she hasn’t yet understood that women are rarely in control.”

“Every day you try to forget, but at night, you dream of the past. This is what dreams are for. To make us remember what we were, to tie us down to our memories, whether we like it or not.”

“But it is easy to turn to the weakest when you are racked with pain, to hurt those who can’t defend themselves when you are unable to hurt those who have hurt you. This is how the world works, raging gods forcing nymphs and humans into submission, heroes taking advantage of lesser men and women, kings and princes exploiting slaves.”

“‘I’m saying that it is hard to find a man who is really strong. Strong enough not to desire to be stronger than you.’”

“…there are winners and losers in every fight, and nothing can be done to change that. But what if the loser is your loved one and you have to watch her fall?”

“There is no peace
for a woman with ambition
No love
for a woman with a crown”