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 (as opposed to natural) justice. The Curse on the House of Atreus began with a feud between two brothers, Atreus and Thyestes. The trial begins, with the Furies arguing that Clytemnestra’s life was worth as much as Agamemnon’s. We are now at the events of Agamemnon. Athene enters, and demands to know what is going on. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Soon after, the Furies—three goddesses who torture … Thyestes unwittingly ate his own children. Apollo, however, argues that men’s lives are worth more than women’s, and Athena agrees, casting the deciding vote that allows Orestes to go free, an innocent man. The Question and Answer section for The Eumenides is a great The Furies arrive, and begin to torment Orestes with promises of what they will do to him. Summary and Analysis The Eumenides: First Episode (Lines 64-142) Summary. Orestes, Hermes, and Apollo exit. The trilogy—consisting of Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides —also shows how the Greek gods interacted … Clytaemestra, fearful that her children might try to avenge their father, reduced Electra to servitude and exiled Orestes. Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Eumenides, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Info: 4690 words (19 pages) Essay Published: 2nd May 2018 in Arts. The Oresteia, the only surviving Attic tragic trilogy, dramatizes the working out of the curse on the house of Atreus from Agamemnon’s homecoming from Troy and his murder by his wife, Clytemnestra, through her subsequent death at the hands of her son, Orestes, and the consequences for human justice and cosmic order. The Eumenides study guide contains a biography of Aeschylus, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Aeschylus's Oresteia: Summary and Analysis. For teenagers. Read a Plot Overview of the entire play or a scene by scene Summary and Analysis. While he had been away, his wife Clytaemestra had taken a lover. Welcome to the third and final part of this series on Aeschylus’ Oresteia. Home, home, o high, o aspiring Daughters of Night, aged children, in blithe processional. The dialogue ends with the Furies vowing to pursue Orestes, even as Apollo promises to protect him. The Power of the Gods. He made overtures of peace to his Atreus, returning with his children, and Atreus pretended to be appeased. The Furies, meanwhile, believe that Apollo is trying to steal their power. The events of Agamemnon take place against a backdrop that would have been familiar to an Athenian audience. Both sides explain their presence to her, and agree to abide by her ruling. Apollo does most of the talking for Orestes. Cassandra was the next victim; the prophetess, convinced that she could not change her fate, walked knowingly towards her own death. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Synopsis of Eumenides As the play opens, the Pythia is preparing to enter the inner sanctum of Apollo's temple, where she receives her prophecies. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Her ritual is interrupted, however, by a bloodstained refugee who has come to her temple to be cleansed. Knowledge of the Curse on the House of Atreus and the events of Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers is essential for understanding the events of The Eumenides. The main idea of The Oresteia is that injustice and such primitive instruments of morality as the blood-feud must be eliminated if human society is ever to attain to a high level of social organization, which can only be done by the introduction of a public morality and civic legal processes. They wake up and are horrified to find their prey has escaped, cursing the Olympian gods for helping a guilty man defy their power. The Oresteia, by Aeschylus, translated by Robert Fagles (Penguin Classics). The most famous of the plays Aeschylus wrote. bless them, all here, with silence After some convincing, the Furies agree, and take on the mantle of the Eumenides—“the kindly ones.”, Instant downloads of all 1408 LitChart PDFs It is Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother in order to avenge her murder of his father. Apollo promises that he will never forsake Orestes. Struggling with distance learning? My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”. Orestes, the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, is asleep in the temple with a bloody sword in one hand. We'll make guides for February's winners by March 31st—guaranteed. The Oresteia of Aeschylus : The Libation Bearers Page 6 . The Eumenides Summary. Greek and Roman Theater, by Don Nardo. He displayed the bodies and proclaimed that justice had been done, but ferocious primal goddesses called the Furies appeared. This chain of events horrifies the Furies, who believe that Athena has stolen their power from them. (including. The Oresteia of Aeschylus : Eumenides Page 4 were massed and saw upon the altar there a man accursed 40 of gods; he was a suppliant in that place, dripping blood from his hands, which held a sword, freshly drawn, and a branch of olive from high on the bush, all wrapped with great care in a long piece of wool from a fleece of fine colour. Knowledge of the Curse on the House of Atreus and the events of Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers is essential for understanding the events of The Eumenides. At the conclusion of The Libation Bearers, Orestes had killed his mother to revenge the death of his father. For a more detailed look, see the ClassicNotes on Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers. “The Oresteia“ trilogy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus consists of the three linked plays “Agamemnon” , “The Libation Bearers” and “The Eumenides” . The third tragedy "Eumenides " starts before the temple of Apollo at Delphi. The ongoing chase of Orestes by the Eumenides has both … The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BC, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of the curse on the House of Atreus and the pacification of the Erinyes. Revenge vs. Justice. The Eumenides is the final play of the Oresteia, in which Orestes is hunted down and tormented by the Furies, a trio of goddesses known to be the instruments of justice. After Orestes has exited, the ghost of Clytemnestra appears, scornfully cursing the Furies for their laziness. The people of Athens welcome the Furies, with the women who attend Athene escorting the Furies to their new home beneath the earth of the city. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Soon after, Athena herself enters, and commands both the Furies and Orestes to tell her who they are and why they’ve come to Athens—she explains that she must protect her city at all costs. She decides, however, to create the first ever murder trial in order to determine Orestes’ guilt, recruiting ten honorable citizens to form a jury. Apollo tells Orestes that he must continue to Athens, where Athena, the goddess of wisdom, will try his case. Athena wishes to serve justice, but fears the wrath of the Furies. At this moment, Apollo emerges from the temple, and a verbal fight begins. It is the third installment of his trilogy of dramatic works titled The Oresteia.