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Clytemnestra dances for herself; Helen dances for others.
When men grow proud, they become too trusting. Sooner or later, traitors cut them down.”
“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.”
She will bow to no one. Her destiny will be what she wants it to be.
“All rulers must learn how to follow before they can lead.”
He understands that she likes power, and he is giving it to her.
“We are so different, you and I. I like to see the world from its edges while you wish to be in the center, taking part in the action.”
You both have fire in your hearts, but she pours water over hers, while you add more logs to yours. That is beautiful.”
He likes the fire. He isn’t afraid to burn.”
When the tide recedes and leaves something on the sand, one mustn’t worry. Sooner or later, the water will climb again and take it back.
It is no use to clean an infected wound on the surface if a splinter remains inside, festering. You must cut through the skin and remove it before it corrupts everything else.
she has never run away from confrontation.
Why does she have to threaten others to make them listen?
“You don’t seek vengeance because you have become a coward,”
“You can take people, cities, armies. But love, respect…those can’t be taken with force.”
“You are a strong woman. Whatever opposes you, you will fight it,”
We will see each other soon. Our lives are being torn apart now, but we will find a way back to each other, just as water always finds its way around rocks.
No man can touch what isn’t his to take without being punished. You will keep climbing, trampling everything and everyone, but sooner or later, you’ll make a mistake. And you will fall.
It is very sharp, though no one suspects it. Everyone is distracted by its beauty.”
You were born free and you will always be free, no matter what others tell you. But you must see what is around you and learn to bend it to your will before you are the one who is bent.”
Yes, but hate is a bad root. It takes its place in your heart and it grows and grows, letting everything rot.”
I have always despised people like you, who have nothing good of their own so they try to steal someone else’s happiness.”
“Your plots and plans haven’t worked. I have power and all you have is whispers in a king’s ear. I am queen of Mycenae, and you are nobody.”
But vengeance works best when it’s aided by patience. And patience is like a child: it must be nursed so it can grow day after day, feeding on sorrow, until it’s as angry as a bull and as lethal as a poisoned fang.
They nod. It is hard to tell if they are frightened or just in awe. What is the difference anyway? Her brother used to say that there is none.
It is noble to be gentle, to save others from pain. But it is also dangerous. Sometimes you have to make life difficult for others before they make it impossible for you.”
It is terrible to be alone like that, when you are surrounded by people but no one can help you. It makes you feel there is no hope.
It is strange: she who is such a light is always seeking someone to show her the way.”
our lives are short and miserable, but sometimes we can be lucky enough to find someone who cures our loneliness.”
But it didn’t teach you to accept defeat and that to achieve what you want from the men around you, you must allow them to believe that they are in charge.”
Clytemnestra senses something beneath them, like a rotten root that refuses to be seen.
There is nothing more powerful than a strong-willed woman.
It is easier for a man to be strong, for we are encouraged to be so. But for a woman to be unbent, unbroken, that is admirable.
Is one life really worth more than another? And if so, who is the judge of that?
Is there any feeling more painful than regret? It spreads like a fever, invisible, and you can do nothing to fight it.
He doesn’t defend me from the gossip, from the spiteful words of his family. And he doesn’t fight. This is his war too,
No one will ever come again and take what she loves.
For a long time, she has known there are two different kinds of war. There are the battles where heroes dance and fight, with their glistening armor and precious swords, and there are those fought between walls, which are made of stabs and whispers. There is nothing dishonorable about that, nothing so different from the field.
In both cases, she holds the sword, and she is not afraid to strike.
“Sometimes it is better to bleed than to feel nothing at all.”
you can be intimidating. You are like the sun. If one looks too long, he’ll be blinded.”
They are such cowards that a single man can unsettle them so.
“How many mistakes does it take to make a decent man?”
Broken people fascinate me.”
“I would love to discuss types of treason with you, Polydamas,” she says. He raises his eyebrow, just slightly. She looks him straight in the eye and adds, “But unfortunately, a crowd is gathering by the Lion Gate to watch your execution.”
Every choice one makes has consequences, like a rock that falls from the top of the mountain. Perhaps as it rolls down, it will take only a few trees in its path. Maybe it will cause other stones to fall and turn into a landslide.
She harbors sadness in her heart and makes it come out as hatred.
mercy never helps one win.
The first time she touched the blade, she cut herself—but her skin has long been thicker.
