Author : Aeschylus,. Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing. Rating : 4. He who learns must suffer. Many years later, when Agamemnon returns to his palace, his adulterous Queen Clytemnestra takes her revenge by brutally murdering him and installing her lover on the throne.
How will the gods judge Orestes, their estranged son, who must avenge his father's death by murdering his mother? The curse of the House of Atreus, passing from generation to generation, is one of the great myths of Western literature.
In the hands of Aeschylus, the story enacts the final victory of reason and justice over superstition and barbarity. Orestes, now a grown man and accompanied by his friend Pylades, visits Agamemnon's tomb and prays to both Hermes, the god who guides dead souls to the underworld, and Zeus, the king of the gods, for success in his plans to take revenge for his father's murder.
After leaving a lock of his hair in tribute to his father's memory and to his lineage, he sees a group of black-clad women approaching. He wonders aloud whether they're there to mourn for Agamemnon or whether they're there to mourn some new tragedy that's befallen his family. He also wonders aloud whether the woman leading is his sister, Electra, so Orestes withdraws with Pylades to watch what the women do and uncover the real reason for their being at Agamemnon's grave.
The Chorus appears, and is revealed as a group of female Trojans taken prisoner by Agamemnon and brought by him to Mycenae to be servants in his house. They speak an ode in which they formally and poetically bewail the extremity of their grief, describe Clytemnestra as "god-abandoned," and comment on the moral ruin of the royal house, speaking at length about how royal authority has become disregarded as a result.
The Chorus urges Electra to remember that she still has friends and allies, reminding her to remember Orestes and urging her that the only right thing to pray for is that her father's executioners be themselves executed. Electra takes courage from the Chorus' Play 2, Part 1 p. She asks that her prayers be heard, that Orestes be brought home, and vengeance against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus be blessed. As the Chorus echoes her prayer, Electra discovers the lock of hair and excitedly tells the Chorus it could have only come from Orestes - she holds it up to her own hair, suggesting that the similarity to hers and to their father's is proof.
As she speaks at exhilarated length about the possibility of her brother's return, she discovers footprints that Orestes and Pylades left behind. At that moment, Orestes reveals himself. It was believed that the making of such sacrifices increased both the potency of a prayer and the likelihood that it would be granted. The irony here, of course, is that Clytemnestra has sent Electra and the Trojan women to pray for support for her, when in fact the prayers are made in the hopes that the gods will aid in Clytemnestra's destruction.
In other words, Clytemnestra has asked the women to pray for the improvement of her life, but, in fact, they're praying to bring about her death.
Another noteworthy element here is the lock of Orestes' hair, which, in addition to serving as a plot device in triggering Electra's recognition of her brother, the hair also functions symbolically. In the same way as the purple carpet in "Agamemnon" symbolized the bloody, murderous path walked by Agamemnon, his ancestors and his descendants, Orestes' hair, in its perceived similarity to both Electra's and Agamemnon's, represents not only the genetic link between the three generations but also the spiritual link - that is, the curse of Atreus see "Characters - Atreus".
A minor thematic thread with echoes of the first play and foreshadowings of the third is developed in this section, as the Chorus' comments on royal power and authority. In all three plays, the various Choruses refer, albeit briefly, to how the authority, the right Play 2, Part 1 p.
The playwright seems to be making the point, through the Chorus, that true power is both earned and respected if it is associated with clear, positive morality. Given that Classical Greek playwrights often included references to the culture in which they were writing in their work, it's possible that in these comments about morality and authority the playwright is making not-so-veiled observations about the corrupt nature of the government of the time.
Two final points. First, this entire section can be seen as foreshadowing of the murderous events to come, the slaying of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus by Orestes.
There's an intriguing question here - did the translator deliberately shape his work to echo Shakespeare's play, written several centuries after the Greek? Or was Shakespeare familiar with the play and borrow the idea from it. Play 2, Part 2 p Play 2, Part 2 p Summary At first Electra doubts that Orestes is who he says he is, but he convinces her, showing her that his robe is one that she herself made for him.
Electra welcomes him back with tears of joy, adding that their murdered father and sister, not to mention Zeus himself, are also rejoicing. Orestes also cries out to Zeus, saying that if he supports them in their drive for revenge "a mighty house will rise from this low state of ruined majesty.
Orestes then speaks at poetic length of how he was commanded by the god Apollo to take revenge for Agamemnon's death, saying the god spoke to him through the Oracle at Delphi and told him that his own Orestes' life would be cursed if he didn't take revenge.
This convinces the Chorus that the cause of revenge is just and they add their voices to the prayers of Orestes and Electra, who draw near to Agamemnon's grave and speak a lengthy ode in praise of their father, express pained regret at his death and determination to take their revenge.
During the ode, Orestes comments that Agamemnon would have died a nobler death if he'd been killed fighting the Trojans. Meanwhile, Electra comments that she was forced to grieve for her father in secret, and the Chorus urges them both on by telling them repeatedly their cause is just.
Orestes and Electra together urge the ghost of Agamemnon to guide and strengthen them, reminding "him" how humiliating his death was, how they've been badly treated in the years since, and how this is the last chance to forever remove the curse from their family.
After the prayer concludes, the eager Chorus tells Orestes to take action. Orestes, however, wonders why Clytemnestra asked for the libations to be poured in the first place, saying that whatever the reason is, it won't change his desire for revenge but repeating that he really needs to know.
The Chorus tells him she had a dream in which Play 2, Part 2 p They add that she was so shaken by the dream that she woke up screaming and immediately sent the Chorus out to make their libations. Orestes immediately realizes that the serpent represented him in the dream and of his plans for revenge the serpent biting Clytemnestra and drawing blood. He then announces his plans for Electra to go into the palace and wait, the Chorus is to say nothing, and he and Pylades to pose as traveling warriors.
He adds that when they're welcomed into the palace, Aegisthus will be killed but at this point, Orestes makes no mention of Clytemnestra. After again urging Electra to remain silent, Orestes and Pylades go out, and Electra returns to the palace.
The Chorus speaks a poetic ode of how inevitable the forthcoming act of justice has become see "Quotes", p. The first is exposition, or explanations of how the circumstances of the play came to be.
The second main component in this section is foreshadowing, specifically the violence to come. The main example of this is the Chorus' story of Clytemnestra's dream, which is an obvious foretelling of her approaching death. It is, of course, another form of foreshadowing - the audience is not only given an outline of what's to come; on some level, the audience is also directed, perhaps subconsciously, to watch and see whether the plot is all going to unfold according to plan.
It will, of course, given that the Classical Greek audience already knew the bones of the story, Play 2, Part 2 p At this point, it's interesting to take a brief look at the character of Electra. After her exit into the palace, she disappears from the trilogy's action - she never appears again in The Libation Bearers, makes no appearance in The Eumenides, and is barely mentioned again in either play.
It's tempting to consider this lack of further development in her character as a manifestation of the playwright's misogyny, but there is also the sense that her disappearance is dramatically valid.
With Electra out of the way, conflict from here on in between Orestes and Clytemnestra, as well as between Orestes and the Eumenides in the third play, becomes more specifically defined. In other words, the conflict between killer Orestes, the murdered Clytemnestra and the Eumenides as avengers becomes more focused and more intent without the cheerleader, Electra.
In any case, Electra is developed with more complexity in two other Classical Greek plays by Euripides and Sophocles, in which she is the title character. Play 2, Part 3 p. Orestes and Pylades come in, crying out for Aegisthus and claiming they have important news. Clytemnestra appears and asks what they want. Orestes tells her they are wandering "strangers," that they've brought news that "Orestes is no more," and that they want to know whether "his" body is to be brought back home or whether he is to be buried where he fell.
Clytemnestra cries out in grief, saying that Orestes was the family's last chance to break the curse placed upon it. The "stranger" apologizes for bringing bad news, but Clytemnestra assures him that he and his friend will be welcomed and treated with the same respect that any other traveler would be.
As Clytemnestra takes the "strangers" into the house, the Chorus appears and whispers a hopeful ode that now is the moment for revenge to take place.
Orestes' old Nurse then comes out of the palace, grieving that the boy she took such great care of and loved so much is dead. She tells the curious Chorus that she's been sent to fetch Aegisthus, who Clytemnestra has summoned and who she wants to bring a squad of soldiers and take revenge for Orestes' murder.
After the Nurse goes out, the Chorus prays to Zeus, to Hermes and to the household gods that they help Orestes bring his plans for revenge to fruition. They also cry out to Orestes to have courage see "Quotes", p. Aegisthus appears, commenting on how yet again the family has been "new-burdened with blood-dripping death" and asking the Chorus whether what he's been told is true or just a rumor.
The Chorus tells him to go inside and question "the strangers" himself. Aegisthus goes in, proclaiming how it's impossible for him to be fooled.
The Chorus excitedly wonders aloud whether the moment of revenge is at hand. From inside the Play 2, Part 3 p. Clytemnestra runs out, also having heard Aegisthus cry out. Throughout most of the trilogy including this play there's a lot of talking, a lot of poetry, a lot of speaking at length, but not a lot is actually done. Here, a great deal happens in a short space of time. There is a strong sense of momentum, of escalating dramatic tension, and above all of accelerated inevitability.
It's interesting to compare the buildup to the murder in this play to the buildup to the murders in Agamemnon. It seems that in this play and in the context of this murder, the playwright is deliberately taking the reverse point of view - instead of guiding the audience into the mindset of the victim, he's instead shaping his writing so that the audience identifies with the eagerness of the murderer.
If this is the case, it suggests that on some level, the laywright is suggesting that Orestes' desire for violent vengeance can be found in every human, being including those in his audience, a perspective which, in turn, takes the play out of the realm of the myth-specific and into the area of archetypal universality.
The quote on p. On another level, the "milk" described in the quote can also be seen as the "milk" of murderousness" - in the same way as Orestes sucked life from his mother's breast, he also sucked the power and the will to kill. In that play, Lady Macbeth calls to the spirits of darkness to "unsex" her, and to take the milk in her breasts for "gall" Play 2, Part 3 p.
Play 2, Part 4 9. Clytemnestra cries out in grief; Orestes speaks sharply to her, and Clytemnestra suddenly recognizes him, pleading with him to remember that she's his mother in language that clearly echoes the imagery of her dream see "Quotes", p. Orestes asks Pylades for advice should he kill his mother or have mercy on her? Pylades, in his only speech in the play, reminds Orestes that the Oracle told him that he must take revenge.
Orestes thanks him for the reminder and proclaims that he will kill Clytemnestra, so that she lies with Aegisthus in death as she lay with him in life. In short terse sentences, Clytemnestra pleads for her life, angry and defiant and imploring by turns.
Orestes, however, reminds her of all the sins she's committed, saying it's those sins that are ending her life, not him, and adding that her terrifying dream is about to come true. They disappear into the palace. The Chorus speaks at triumphant, poetic length about how justice has finally been served, commenting that "Night is past. Behold the day!
He comments that Aegisthus has received the same justice that all adulterers would and wonders aloud how the evil, devious, once powerful Clytemnestra now appears to the Chorus and to the world. He holds up the cloth in which Agamemnon was trapped before he was killed, claiming that it's evidence that justice was served.
Finally, he reminds the Chorus that he was doing what he was told by Apollo through the Oracle and expresses his intention to return to the Oracle to receive absolution for what he's done. The Chorus reassures him that what he did was right. Suddenly Orestes cries out, in the throes of a terrifying vision see "Quotes", p.
The Chorus comments that they see nothing and urge him to calm himself, but Orestes cries out that he sees the Eumenides, goddesses of revenge, who he believes have Play 2, Part 4 9. The Chorus urges him to remember that Apollo will defend him, but Orestes flees, crying out that the Furies are pursuing him.
The first is that it contains the play's climax, and, indeed, the climax of the trilogy. Yes, the killing of Agamemnon in the first play and the judgment of Athena in the third are, in their own ways, also climaxes. But those two moments lack the sense of convergence of the moment here. The killing of Agamemnon in Play1 is the climax of that play, but in the overall scheme of the entire trilogy, it's simply a stepping stone, moving the play forward on its more global narrative and thematic path.
It's violent and intense, but ultimately transitional. The judgment of Athena, on the other hand, is the trilogy's moral climax, the destination of that same narrative and thematic path, but it lacks the visceral and emotional impact of both the Agamemnon and Clytemnestra killings. The murder here, by contrast, is both the narrative and the moral centerpiece of the entire trilogy. The action throughout has been building to this point, and is entirely defined by it afterwards - the trial that follows makes up the entire dramatic action of the third play, making this moment the linchpin of the trilogy's thematic consideration of the morality of revenge.
Another element worth consideration here is Pylades' speech as mentioned in the Summary; it is the only point at which he speaks in the play and indeed the trilogy. He essentially cuts straight to the heart of the matter with none of the lengthily-described doubts of Orestes, the grandstanding of Agamemnon, the self-dramatization of Cassandra, the pouting of Play 2, Part 4 9.
Aegisthus, or the aggressiveness of Clytemnestra. Pylades here distills the matter of the play into three simple sentences, and as such is both a narrative and thematic catalyst for the action to follow.
It's also important to consider Clytemnestra here, specifically, what she says in the moments before her death. Is she merely trying to manipulate Orestes into sparing her life, or does she genuinely feel that as her son, he has a responsibility to spare her no matter what she did?
She's essentially saying that because she gave him life, he should give her her life. On the other hand, she's also quite clearly self righteous about what she did to Agamemnon and feels that she is beyond earthly justice. Ultimately, her actions here reveal her to be an immensely complex character, easily the most fully archetypally?
Play 3, Part 1 p. The Oracle, a woman, invokes the presence and the power of all the gods, imploring their guidance as she issues her prophecies. She then speaks at poetic length of her wonder and fear at seeing "a man red-handed, with blood-dabbled blade Apollo himself appears, offering his support for Orestes even as he describes in a lengthy ode how Orestes has been pursued by the Eumenides and must travel to Athens to seek justice from that city's patron goddess, Athena, the goddess of justice herself.
Orestes wakens, expressing his gratitude for Apollo's guidance. Apollo tells him to go, uttering a blessing as Orestes leaves.
Apollo then disappears. Clytemnestra's ghost appears, crying out to the Eumenides to wake up and continue to chase Orestes and pursue vengeance for her murder.
As the Eumenides continue to slumber, Clytemnestra urges them to dream that they are hunting Orestes and destroying him. They complain about what "this younger brood of gods will do," suggesting that the Eumenides is an ancient and just power that cannot be denied.
The Eumenides argue that they're simply pursuing their ancient right to punish those who kill their mothers, but Apollo argues that Clytemnestra committed as dark a crime by killing her husband "since Play 3, Part 1 p. In other words, the structure of the plot rests upon the narrative foundations defined here - that Orestes has been pursued by the Eumenides, that both Orestes and the Eumenides are fatigued by the length and intensity of the pursuit, and that Apollo is intervening in the same way as he did earlier in Orestes' story when Apollo instructed Orestes to take vengeance on Clytemnestra.
This, in turn, is a development of one of the key aspects of the trilogy, and a second important element in this section - its exploration of the intimate, intense, day-to-day relationship between humanity and the gods see "Characters - The Gods" and humanity's relative lack of free will. A third key element to consider in this section is the development of one of the play's secondary themes, its perspective on womanhood.
There are three points to keep in mind. First, it's interesting to note that the spirits of vengeance the Eumenides are female - does the playwright intend to suggest that a thirst for violent vengeance is a female characteristic? A second point is that Orestes is essentially ineffectual until urged on by Electra and the Trojan women in Play 2. Perhaps he is the exception that proves the rule that a need for violent vengeance is a feminine trait. The point is arguable but becomes less so when a third point is considered - that it's ultimately indisputable that the most vocal and driven proponents of revenge in this play are female.
Clytemnestra, the doomed Cassandra, even the somewhat bloodthirsty Trojan women in The Libation Bearers all cry out for revenge for the perceived wrongs done to them. Yes, Orestes, a male, is eager to take revenge for what happened to his father, but he has not been personally wronged - his father was wronged, but he has not been. Support for this idea can be found in the relationship between Clytemnestra and the Male Chorus in Play 1, in which she accuses them of exactly that - making assumptions.
It's at least partly to prove those assumptions wrong that she attacks Agamemnon. Support can also be found in the actions of the Eumenides here; they are female spirits, essentially taking revenge on a male who attacked a woman in revenge for her taking revenge on a man.
In other words, it's women sticking together against men sticking together. On the other hand, it's also indisputable that the embodiment of reason and justice in the play is also female--the goddess Athena, who appears in the following section. Does her presence suggest that the playwright's intent is, in fact, to portray two sides to the feminine psyche - the vengeful, which must be tempered by the just? In a prayer that indicates he's had a long and hard journey, he prays that he be welcomed and that his case be heard fairly.
Finally, they comment that his evident desperation for aid from Athena is fruitless, but he cries out that time has washed him clean of his sin, and that Athena will decide in his favor. Athena appears, having heard Orestes' prayers and flown from Troy, where she has been taking possession of the land won for her by the Greeks. Athena then asks Orestes to explain himself.
He tells her he's the son of Agamemnon, who, as Orestes reminds Athena, was one of the warriors she favored in the Trojan War. He tells her Agamemnon was slain by Clytemnestra, and that he Orestes slew Clytemnestra in revenge. He also tells her he was guided to this action by Apollo and claims that Apollo must also share in some responsibility for what happened.
Finally, he vows to accept Athena's judgment as final. Athena pronounces that on the one hand, the case is too complicated for a single man to decide, but on the other hand it's out of her jurisdiction as goddess.
She therefore appoints a council of Athens' elders to hear the case and pass judgment. They speak again, Play 3, Part 2 Play 3, Part 2 Analysis The first thing to note about this section is the Chorus' bloodthirsty description of what will happen to Orestes when they catch him. This seems to be a deliberate echo of the events two generations ago when Orestes' grandfather Atreus killed his brother's sons and fed his brother their flesh.
The second noteworthy element here is that it is essentially a courtroom drama, a sort of Law and Order of its time. This, in turn, takes the play's possible core meaning onto another level, making it somewhat a parable about the dangers of revenge i. In other words, it's possible to see that at this point in its narrative, The Oresteia becomes a tale of how humanity, with the help of the gods, discovers a better part of itself. An intriguing component to this aspect of the story is the way in which the Eumenides perceive themselves as "old gods" being usurped by the will and ways of the "young gods," Apollo and Athena.
As such, they are manifestations of a sometimes uneasy part of human existence, the resistance to change. Play 3, Part 3 p.
Apollo then appears, announcing himself as a witness in Orestes' favor and proclaiming his willingness to enter into the proceedings as Athena wills.
Orestes admits that he killed Clytemnestra but claims he did so under Apollo's guidance, and that he was acting out of a determination to avenge Agamemnon's death. Apollo proclaims that in telling Orestes to do what he did he Apollo was only passing on Zeus's decrees relating to the nature of justice. He concludes by saying that if forgiven, Orestes will be a living example of the true power and value of justice.
Before the judges' votes are counted Athena proclaims her support for Orestes, offering exactly the same justification that Apollo named. The result of the judges' vote is revealed that their verdict is evenly split.
Athena's vote in favor of Orestes, however, means that he is freed. Orestes thanks Athena effusively and gratefully, Play 3, Part 3 p.
She assures them that as elder gods they will be revered and endowed with great, albeit more humane, power, and she urges them to become part of "the triumph of all good.
A question to consider here is this - does the juxtaposition of these two thematic statements mean that in the mind of the goddess and indeed of the playwright the greater good means male domination? Or is the greater good ultimately transcendent of gender, since both Play 3, Part 3 p. And what of Orestes? His tortures are ended; the curse upon his family has apparently run its course, and he vows to live out the rest of his days in peace.
It's important to remember, however, that after she killed Agamemnon and Cassandra, Clytemnestra also vowed to live in peace It's possible, therefore, to see Orestes' statement that he will haunt any of his descendants who bring war into the world as yet further continuance of the family curse of violence and revenge, just in a less overt form. In any case, in its resolution of Orestes' story, the play seems to be making the thematic statement that that resolution is not only what he deserves, but is an archetypal experience of justice - that is, transcendence of earthly deeds and movement towards a larger, more spiritual truth, one grounded in "the triumph of all good.
Characters Clytemnestra Clytemnestra is Agamemnon's wife, and is the only character to appear in all three plays of the trilogy in the third she appears as a ghost. Either way, she is the embittered, angered mother of Agamemnon's sacrificed daughter. During Agamemnon's ten years of absence, she has nursed a grudge, planned her murderous revenge, and found solace in the arms of Aegisthus, Agamemnon's rival and Thyestes' only surviving son.
Thyestes has his own reasons for wanting Agamemnon dead see "Atreus", above, and "Aegisthus" below. Clytemnestra is strong, fierce, passionate, desperate, and manipulative. It's important to note that it's through the treatment of Clytemnestra that the question of the play's view of women is most vividly explored see "Themes - The Nature of Womanhood".
Agamemnon Agamemnon is the title character of the first play of this trilogy and plays a central, if absent and catalytic, role in the second and third. In the second play his children, Orestes and Electra, act murderously out of a desire to take revenge for Agamemnon's death, while in the third play Orestes faces a trial resulting from those actions and invokes both Agamemnon's name and the means of his death in his defense.
In the Characters While preparing to sail for battle, he was faced with the choice of either sacrificing his daughter to the goddess Artemis in order to gain a wind favorable for sailing to Troy, or not to go to Troy at all. Agamemnon chose loyalty to his brother, fellow king and countryman, Menelaus, whose wife Helen had been kidnapped by the Trojans, and who the Greeks were sailing to rescue, over the more emotional ties to his daughter and the rest of his family.
In other words, he chose power over love and family in the same way as his father Atreus did and, as a result, suffered brutal, humiliating death at the hands of his embittered wife. His choice has echoes in his order to his wife to welcome the Trojan princess Cassandra, obviously Agamemnon's concubine, into their home. Again he chooses to exhibit power over both women rather than display compassion to either.
In the story of Agamemnon, then, there can be seen a clear warning about the sort of power-related choices great men, and in fact humanity in general, should make. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy. Excerpt from The Oresteia of Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Choephori, Eumenides The fragments of Aeschylus' s predecessors are too scanty to give us any clear idea of the debt he may have owed to them.
But it seems probable that drama, as one of the supreme forms of art, was the creation of his own unique personal genius Within the limits of a short introduction no adequate account can be given of his art, or of its rela tions to the plays of his rivals and successors.
I must confine myself to a few remarks upon the traditional drama tic forms which he inherited and developed, and upon my own methods of translation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books.
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Aeschylus c. Agamemnon depicts the hero's discovery that his family has been destroyed by his wife's infidelity and ends with his death at her callous hand. Clytemnestra's crime is repaid in The Choephori when her outraged son Orestes kills both her and her lover. The Eumenides then follows Orestes as he is hounded to Athens by the Furies' law of vengeance and depicts Athene replacing the bloody cycle of revenge with a system of civil justice.
Written in the years after the Battle of Marathon, The Oresteian Trilogy affirmed the deliverance of democratic Athens not only from Persian conquest, but also from its own barbaric past.
The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which concerns the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. When originally performed it was accompanied by Proteus, a satyr play that would have been performed following the trilogy; it has not survived.
The term "Oresteia" may have originally referred to all four plays, but today is generally used to designate only the surviving trilogy.
The only surviving example of a trilogy of ancient Greek plays, the Oresteia was originally performed at the Dionysia festival in Athens in BC, where it won first prize. A principal theme of the trilogy is the shift from the practice of personal vendetta to a system of litigation.
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