The Oresteia

aeschylus alan shapiro peter h. burian

Aeschylus' Oresteia , the only ancient tragic trilogy to survive, is one of the great foundational texts of Western culture. It begins with Agamemnon , which describes Agamemnon's return from the Trojan War and his murder at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, continues with her murder by their son Orestes in Libation Bearers , and concludes with Orestes' acquittal at a court founded by Athena in Eumenides . The trilogy thus traces the evolution of justice in human society from blood vengeance to the rule of law, Aeschylus' contribution to a Greek legend steeped in murder, adultery, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and endless intrigue. This new translation is faithful to the strangeness of the original Greek and to its enduring human truth, expressed in language remarkable for poetic intensity, rich metaphorical texture, and a verbal density that modulates at times into powerful simplicity. The translation's precise but complicated rhythms honor the music of the Greek, bringing into
unforgettable English the Aeschylean vision of a world fraught with spiritual and political tensions.

Genres playsfictionmythologypoetryliteraturetheatreclassicsschoolancientgreece

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,-0458

Series

Oresteia

Literary awards

national book award finalist,

Places

greece, argos,

This edition

Format: 304 pages, Paperback
Published: October 7, 2004 by Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195135923
ASIN: 019513592X
Language: English

Characters More characters

Orestes

In Greek mythology, Orestes (Greek: Ὀρέστης) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. When his father returned from the Trojan War, he was murdered by Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus. Orestes went into exile and swore to get revenge. After he reac...
Electra

In Greek mythology, Electra (Greek: Ἠλέκτρα, Ēlektra) was an Argive princess and daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. She and her brother Orestes plotted revenge against their mother Clytemnestra and step father Aegisthus for the murder of t...
Clytemnestra (wife Of Agamemnon)

...
Cassandra

In Greek mythology, Cassandra (Greek Κασσάνδρα, also Κασάνδρα) was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy. When Cassandra refused Apollos attempted seduction, he placed a curse...
Agamemnon

In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (Ancient Greek: Ἀγαμέμνων; modern Greek: Αγαμέμνονας, "very resolute") is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope; the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him t...

About the author

aeschylus

Greek Αισχύλος, Esquilo in Spanish, Eschyle in French, Eschilo in Italian, Эсхил in Russian.

Aeschylus (c. 525/524 BC – c. 456 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is largely based on inferences made from reading his surviving plays. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in the theatre and allowed conflict among them. Formerly, characters interacted only with the chorus.
Only seven of Aeschylus's estimated 70 to 90 plays have survived. There is a long-standing debate regarding the authorship of one of them, Prometheus Bound, with some scholars arguing that it may be the work of his son Euphorion. Fragments from other plays have survived in quotations, and more continue to be discovered on Egyptian papyri. These fragments often give further insights into Aeschylus' work. He was likely the first dramatist to present plays as a trilogy. His Oresteia is the only extant ancient example. At least one of his plays was influenced by the Persians' second invasion of Greece (480–479 BC). This work, The Persians, is one of very few classical Greek tragedies concerned with contemporary events, and the only one extant. The significance of the war with Persia was so great to Aeschylus and the Greeks that his epitaph commemorates his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon while making no mention of his success as a playwright.