Description
Book SynopsisIn the
Oresteia Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration. In
Agamemnon, a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution;
The Libation Bearers deals with the aftermath of Clytemnestra's regicide, as her son Orestes sets out to avenge his father's death; and in
The Eumenides, Orestes is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased. Forming an elegant and subtle discourse on the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction,
The Oresteia is a compelling tragedy of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society
Trade Review"Conveys more vividly and powerfully than any of the ten competitors I have consulted the eternal power of this masterpiece ... a triumph." —Bernard Levin
"How satisfying to read at last a modern translation which is rooted in Greek feeling and Greek thought ... both the stature and the profound instinctive genius of Aeschylus are recognised." —Mary Renault, author of
The King Must DieTable of ContentsThe Oresteia - Aeschylus Foreword
Acknowledgments
A Reading of "The Oresteia": The Serpent and the Eagle
AESCHYLUS: THE ORESTEIA
Agamemnon
The Libation Bearers
The Eumenides
The Geneaology of Orestes
Select Bibliography
Notes:
Agamemnon
The Libation Bearers
The Eumenides
Glossary
