The Oresteia

Description

The Oresteia is one of Aeschylus’ best known and most distinguished plays. Written almost 500 years before the birth of Christ and having received first prize at the Dionysia festival in 458 BC, it is one of only seven plays written by Aeschylus that still survive to this day.

The play stands out as a trilogy of Greek tragedies which depict the struggles and conflicts between Agamemnon – the King of Mycene during the Trojan War – and his wife Clytemnestra, who has been eagerly awaiting his return, not in faithfulness but in anguish and rage over the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia. Agamemnon soon returns from the war, further angering Clytemnestra by bringing along a consort – Trojan king Priam’s daughter Cassandra.

The main action of the play centers around Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, their conflict and contrasting beliefs, as the latter attempts to trick Agamemnon and murder him. Cassandra also plays a major role, being possessed by the god Apollo and given visions of future events that seem to be impossible to change.

A beautifully written, engaging play that offers remarkable historic insight and literary value, The Oresteia is Aeschylus’ crowning achievement and the only surviving example of a connected trilogy written by the illustrious Ancient Greek tragedian. Widely debated throughout the past two thousand years, it is also one of the earliest surviving Greek tragedies ever written, alongside those penned by Sophocles and Euripides.

Aeschylus’ works stand out as some of the earliest and most fascinating plays when taken from a complex psychological standpoint. The Oresteia itself focuses intently on the contrast between revenge and justice, placing great emphasis on Clytemnestra’s desire for personal vendetta and the progress of her approach, from built-up anger and jealousy, to murder and justification.
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