The Oresteia Agamemnon The Libation Bearers The Eumenides

He who learns must suffer. Before setting out for the Trojan War, King Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia. 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. The original trilogy, comprising Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and Eumenides, is distilled into one thrilling three-act play in this magnificent new translation by award-winning playwright Rory Mullarkey..

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 458 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. The name derives from the character Orestes, who sets out to avenge his father after his mother's affair with Aegisthus.Aeschylus (circa 525 BC – 455 BC) was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays can still be read or performed, the others being Sophocles and Euripides. He is often described as the father of tragedy: our knowledge of the genre begins with his work and our understanding of earlier tragedies is largely based on inferences from his surviving plays. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in plays to allow for conflict amongst them, whereas previously characters had interacted only with the chorus. Only seven of his estimated seventy to ninety plays have survived into modern times..

DIVClassic trilogy by great tragedian concerns the bloody history of the House of Atreus. Grand style, rich diction and dramatic dialogue. Still powerful after 2500 years. /div.

From the Penn Greek Drama Series, this volume offers translations by David Slavitt of the great trilogy of the House of Atreus, telling of Agamemnon's murder at the hands of his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, and of Electra's rebelliousness and Orestes's ultimate revenge..

Hugh Lloyd-Jones's classic translation of Aeschylus's tragic cycle, The Oresteia, now available in the Bloomsbury Revelations series..

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Oresteia is a tetralogy by an Ancient Greek playwright and poet Aeschylus, that consisted of three tragedies: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides, as well as lost Proteus.The plot of a preserved trilogy is a destiny of the Atreus family, represented by its most glorious members, Agamemnon and his son Orestes. Before the Trojan campaign, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia to his ambition; he reaches his goal and returns home as a winner, but he is killed here by his wife Clytemnestra, who was motivated by revenge for her daughter's death and by a culpable love to her husband's relative, Aegisthus.A very young son of Agamemnon, Orestes, did not see this execution; he was brought up far from his native land. When he grew up, he asked Apollo what he had to do; Apollo ordered him to remember first of all about the duty of revenge....

The importance of Aeschylus in the development of drama cannot be overstated. Before him tragedy had consisted of the chorus and one actor; and by introducing a second actor, expanding the dramatic dialogue, and reducing the lyrical parts, he practically created Greek tragedy as we know it. Like other writers of his time, he acted in his own plays, and trained the chorus in their dances and songs; and did much to improve the performances by his development of scene and costume on the stage. "The Oresteia" is Aeschylus most famous work, a trilogy of dramas that includes "Agamemnon," "The Libation Bearers," and "The Eumenides." In the first work of the trilogy, Agamemnon, King of Argos, is returning home from the Trojan War. Clytemnestra, his wife, awaits his return by planning his murder. She is angry for the murder of their first born daughter, Iphigenia, which Agamemnon has sacrificed in order to appease the goddess Artemis. The second drama, "The Libation Bearers," is concerned with the revenge by Agamemnon's children, Electra and Orestes, against Clytemnestra, for the murder of their father. The final play in the trilogy, "The Eumenides," details the trial of Orestes for the murder of his mother. This collection of dramas brilliantly deals with the themes of revenge and justice and stands to this day as one of the most important collection of works from classical antiquity. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes an introduction by Theodore Alois Buckley, and follows the verse translations of E. D. A. Morshead..

The Oresteia, consists of the three tragedies Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides. This trilogy of plays, written a number of years B.C.E., dramatizes one of the earliest, most culturally significant myths of Ancient Greek civilization—how a series of revenge/power-motivated murders in the family of King Agamemnon of Mycenae eventually leads to the establishment of democratic justice. One of the few surviving complete examples of Classical Greek drama, the trilogy is populated by archetypal characters, whose actions explore themes relating to the nature and purpose of revenge, and the relationship between humanity and spirituality (the gods). Aeschylus was the earliest of the great Greek tragedians and the principal creator of Greek drama. He is called the 'Father of Tragedy'..

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A brief discussion of the life of Aeschylus and the structure of early tragedy accompanies a translation of the three plays based on H.W. Smyth's Loeb Classical Library text..

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant..

Aeschylus I: Oresteia, which includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by legendary Greek playwright Aeschylus. It is widely considered to be among the top Greek tragedies of all time. This great trilogy will surely attract a whole new generation of Aeschylus readers. For many, The Oresteia is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Aeschylus is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books America and beautifully produced, Aeschylus I: Oresteia, which includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library..

First presented at the festival of the City Dionysia, in 458 BCE and won the first prize, the Oresteia is the only trilogy that has survived the rapacious ways of Time to come down to us almost intact. The myth that has inspired Aeschylus to write this trilogy is long and concerns the House of Atreus, a house which was almost obliterated by vengeance and revenge, in other words, by brutal murders. The last male of the house, Orestes survived, thanks to the new and exciting phenomenon that has emerged during Aeschylus' time, that of Democracy. The playwright shows us here this new phenomenon, in the form of a jury. The citizens of Athens, the demos, were asked by the goddess Athena to consider Orestes' guilt or innocence after he had murdered his mother, the Queen of Argos, Klytaemestra, and her lover, Aigisthus. With this trilogy, Aeschylus shows the Athenian citizens the ills of the old and bloody ways of pursuing justice and asked them to see the benefits of the new ways of seeking the engagement and approval of the whole of the Athenian Demos, of each other in other words, of their peers. Courts from that moment on will be run just like the Parliament, the first that was built by the people and for the people. The country and its Justice systems would now be ruled by every male citizen. Aristotle's view that all men are inherently politicians since they are members of a polis is, in this trilogy given a theatrical exhibition..

Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BCE) is the dramatist who made Athenian tragedy one of the world's great art forms. Seven of his eighty or so plays survive complete, including the Oresteia trilogy and the Persians, the only extant Greek historical drama. Fragments of his lost plays also survive..

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant..

Meineck's translation is faithful and supple; the language employed is modern without betraying the grandeur and complexity--particularly the images--of the Aeschylean text. After reading this translation, one has but one further wish: to see it and hear it at Delphi, Epidaurus or Syracuse. --Herman Van Looy, L'Antiquite Classique.