OresteiaThe Oresteia by Aeschylus, the only extant trilogy among the Greek tragedies, is one of the great foundational texts of Western culture. Beginning with Agamemnon, which describes Agamemnon's return from the Trojan War and his murder at the hands of his wife, Clytemnestra, and continuing through Orestes' murder of Clytemnestra in Libation Bearers and his acquittal at Athena's court in Eumenides, the trilogy traces the evolution of justice in human society from blood vengeance to the rule of law. The story of the house of Atreus is a tale of incest, adultery, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and political intrigue. It is also a story in which human action is simultaneously willed and determined. |
Contents
PlayTitles and Works Frequently Cited | ix |
Introduction | xv |
Dramatic form and language in Aeschylus | xlviii |
reception and public response | lix |
Bibliography and Further Reading | lxix |
Family Trees of the Principal Characters of the Oresteia | lxxvi |
AGAMEMNON I | 6 |
Explanatory Notes | 114 |
Textual Appendix | 229 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aegisthus Aeschylus Agamem Agamemnon allusion ancient anger Apollo Areopagus Argos Athena Athenian Atreidae Atreus Aulis avenge Bibliography blood bloodshed bring Calchas Cassandra chant CHORUS Chorus's Clytemnestra conjecture curse dead death Delphi dishonour door earth echo editors Electra Eumenides Euripides evil fate father fear Furies give goddess gods Greek Tragedy Greek word grief hear heart Helen HERALD Homer honour house's husband idea Iliad imagery insecure Introduction Iphigenia jurors justice killed lament land Libation Bearers line missing literally Loxias lyric matricide meaning Menelaus metaphor mortal mother murder myth mythic oracle Oresteia Orestes palace perhaps Persians play pollution prayer prophetic punishment Pylades revenge role ruin sacrifice scene sing Sommerstein song Sophocles speak speech stanzas stichomythia stranger suppliant tell theatre things Thyestes tomb translation trilogy Trojan Troy Troy's underworld vengeance victory West's woman women Zeus