This is the bloody, beating heart of the trilogy. The action of the second part of The Oresteia takes place ten years after the end of Agamemnon. Who has the right to commit a crime and where does this right derive from? This slippage is observed by a ruling class that is silent until it loses its power and ultimately its very existence. This is a poetic universe in which man is an unsolved enigma and human actions do not take place under godless skies, where there is slippage between the roles of victim and persecutor. After ten years, a king returns victorious from the most terrible of wars, only for his wife to murder him in his own home. With the myth of the Trojan War at its core, it was an immediate success when it was written (in the Athens of the 5th century BCE) and has remained so in every era up to the present day. Agamemnon directed by Io Voulgaraki, The Libation Bearers directed by Lilly Meleme, and The Eumenides directed by Georgia Mavragani.Īgamemnon, the first part of the timeless masterpiece that is Aeschylus' Oresteia, is the starting point for a multi-layered theatrical experience. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.An innovative concept from the National Theatre of Greece: the only extant example of an ancient dramatic trilogy, Aeschylus' Oresteia, in a single production by three directors staging their work for the first time at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus.

The introduction and notes emphasize the interconnection of scenes, ideas, and language that distinguishes this unique work.ĪBOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. The Oresteia is majestic as theatre and as literature, and this new translation seeks to preserve both these qualities. Only Orestes' appeal to the goddess Athena saves him from his mother's Furies, breaking the bloody chain together gods and humans inaugurate a way of just conduct that will ensure stable families and a strong community. When Agamemnon is murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, their son Orestes must avenge his father's death. In this family history, Fate and the gods decree that each generation will repeat the crimes and endure the suffering of their forebears.

Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public HealthĪeschylus' Oresteia is the only trilogy to survive from Greek tragedy, and the religious and moral ideas it enacts afterwards influenced a great dramatic genre, as well as giving its three plays their lasting significance.

The European Society of Cardiology Series.

Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

Aeschylus produced the oresteia