Text: Pages 263 and 264

The priestess of Apollo, Cassandra symbolizes certain truths that exist about individuals with mental illness that have often been ignored. For instance, individuals with mental illness want love, productive work, and feel valued like everyone else in the world. Many times in history there has been a belief that they were not capable or even deserving of attaining normal human needs. According to Aeschylus in his play Agamemnon, Cassandra promised Apollo favors and then he gave her the divine power to see the future. When she went back on her word, he did not go back on his word, but added the curse that nobody would ever believe her true prophesies. She was forever cursed because when she spoke the truth, no one listened.