Isn't that Cassandra?

When we see Agamemnon enjoying the spoils of victory, is the girl on her knees before him Cassandra?  If so, I can understand her expression...I've always thought that being Cassandra would be utterly hellish.

The script only describes her as a "slave girl." Troy has not yet fallen at this point, so it's unlikely the girl is Cassandra. More likely she and the other girls are the priestesses taken after the sack of Apollo's temple.

Okay---I had thought that this was a flashback to right after Troy's fall. 

Personally, considering that in this universe, the Greek gods are real and take insults awfully badly, in Agamemnon's sandals I'd leave priestesses strictly alone.  A Heroic-Age Greek king had no shortage of willing women, after all, and I wouldn't fancy my chances against any of the Twelve Olympians.

Okay---I had thought that this was a flashback to right after Troy's fall. 

Personally, considering that in this universe, the Greek gods are real and take insults awfully badly, in Agamemnon's sandals I'd leave priestesses strictly alone.  A Heroic-Age Greek king had no shortage of willing women, after all, and I wouldn't fancy my chances against any of the Twelve Olympians.

Cassandra has already run afoul of Apollo - he's the one who curses her to be able to see the future but have no one ever believe her - so no god is going to take her side at that point.  Becoming Agamemnon's sex slave is all she'd deserve in Apollo's eyes.  Sure, her life is absolutely hellish, as Apollo intends - and she knows well before Troy falls that she's destined to be taken to Greece and be murdered there.  Cassandra's story's one I'd like to do someday, since she's one of my favorite characters in Greek myth.

- Grant

True enough.  However, Apollo didn't curse her without cause.  The deal was supposed to be that he gave her the power to see the future, in exchange for her being his lover.  He gave her the power, as he had sworn to do---but she reneged on her half of the deal. 

He couldn't take back the power, but he could make her a horrible example of why doublecrossing one of the gods was a very bad idea.  She's one of the earliest examples of someone who tried to bargain with a supernatural power and ended up regretting that she hadn't read all the fine print first.  If she'd come through with her half of the bargain, she'd have had a divine protector and people would have believed her prophecies. 

So, while the Greek gods can be arseholes, I do think that Cassandra had it coming. 

True enough.  However, Apollo didn't curse her without cause.  The deal was supposed to be that he gave her the power to see the future, in exchange for her being his lover.  He gave her the power, as he had sworn to do---but she reneged on her half of the deal. 

He couldn't take back the power, but he could make her a horrible example of why doublecrossing one of the gods was a very bad idea.  She's one of the earliest examples of someone who tried to bargain with a supernatural power and ended up regretting that she hadn't read all the fine print first.  If she'd come through with her half of the bargain, she'd have had a divine protector and people would have believed her prophecies. 

So, while the Greek gods can be arseholes, I do think that Cassandra had it coming.

It's been awhile since I read the story, but I don't recall a bargain of sweet hot priestess love in exchange for the power to see the future.  Is that how it went or did Apollo bestow the foresight on her as a way of proving his love, and then got all pissed off when she didn't put out in swooning appreciation?  (Why he didn't just take her like gods usually did I don't understand, but hey...)

- Grant