Cassandra appears in the play, Agamemnon, by Aeschylus.  Though she is not the main character, she has powerful powers of prophecy.  Initially, she appears timid and is horrified by her prophecy of her own death, but becomes strong-willed despite that she is destined to die.  The play begins with an aged watchman who is waiting for the signal of the Fall of Troy.  The Chorus tells us about how Paris stole Helen from Menelaus; in order to defeat the Trojans, Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter to appease Artemis.  When the beacon illuminates, he is ecstatic that Troy has fallen.  When Agamemnon returns from the war, he brings back Cassandra, a Trojan priestess.  She is shown arriving in Agamemnon’s carriage as a trophy or prize of war.  Her role as a woman appears to detract from her identity as a powerful prophet.  Initially, she does not have much dialogue; she seems quiet and submissive.  When Clytemnestra commands her to go inside the palace, Cassandra appears defiant and she refuses to speak.  Even the chorus addresses Cassandra and reminds her that Clytemnestra is speaking to her.  “It’s you she’s speaking to!  She’s pausing, but what she says is clear…but perhaps you’ll disobey.” (Aeschylus, 29)  Clytemnestra thinks that Cassandra may not be able to understand her, but the chorus lets us know that she can, though she chooses to ignore her.  Here, she becomes more assertive by intentionally ignoring Clytemnestra, despite the fact that she is a captive.  When she is alone, she is extremely distressed and cries out to Apollo.  It is implied that Apollo has somehow wronged her or done something to cause her great distress, though details are not given.  The chorus offers a back-and-forth dialogue between them and Cassandra, allowing the reader to see how distressed she is.  “Apollo, Apollo!  Lord of the streets, my destroyer!” (Aeschylus, 30) We then learn from the chorus and Cassandra that Apollo wanted to have a child with Cassandra and in return, he would give her the gift of prophecy.  When she decides not to have his child, he curses her; although she can see into the future, no one will believe her.  This is significant because she can foresee tragedy, but will never be able to change fate.  Her power is derived from Apollo’s desire; even though she is a very powerful figure, she is objectified.  Cassandra learns that she is in the house of Atreidae and senses that it is a house of violence.  “Evil bloodshed by kin, carving like meat—a place for slaughtering men, a floor sprinkled with blood!” (Aeschylus, 30) Cassandra has a vision that Clytemnestra will betray and kill Agamemnon and then kill Cassandra.  She also sees that a man will come back and kill Clytemnestra.  Although Cassandra sees her imminent death along with Agamemnon’s, she is unable to do anything to change their fate.  At first she is very distressed, but she calms down and finds solace in the fact that her captor will die and the Trojans will be avenged.  After Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon and Cassandra, she curses both Agamemnon and Cassandra, claiming to have avenged her daughter.  Cassandra is a mistress and a prize, but is often disregarded as a prophet.  Her powers are great, but they are often overlooked.