The Oresteia Trilogy: Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers and The Furies

by Aeschylus

Overview

Perhaps the greatest of the Greek tragedians, Aeschylus wrote 90 plays, but only seven have survived complete. Among them is this classic trilogy dealing with the bloody history of the House of Atreus.
In Agamemnon, the warrior who defeated Troy returns to Argos and is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia before the start of the Trojan War. In The Libation-Bearers, Orestes, Agamemnon’s son, avenges his father by murdering his mother. In The Furies, Orestes flees to Delphi, pursued by the divine avengers (Erinyes) of his mother. After being purified by Apollo, he makes his way to Athens and is there tried (and acquitted) at the court of Areopagus.
Written in a grand style, rich in diction and dramatic dialogue, the plays embody Aeschylus’ concerns with the destiny and fate of individuals as well as the state, all played out under the watchful eye of the gods. Still powerful and provocative after 2,500 years, these great tragedies offer unparalleled insight into the world of ancient Greece and the origins of the Western dramatic tradition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486292427
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	09/24/1996
Series:	Dover Thrift Editions: Plays
Edition description:	Unabridged
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,105,116
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Hugh Lloyd-Jones is Regius Professor of Greek Emeritus at the University of Oxford and author of, among many titles, The Justice of Zeus (California, 1971).

Table of Contents

	Foreword	7
	Acknowledgements	11
	A Reading of 'The Oresteia': The Serpent and the Eagle	13
	Agamemnon	99
	The Libation Bearers	173
	The Eumenides	227
	The Genealogy of Orestes	279
	Select Bibliography	281
	Notes	285
	Agamemnon	285
	The Libation Bearers	305
	The Eumenides	317
	Glossary	331

Editorial Reviews

Translators Grene and O'Flaherty present a modern translation of the three plays composing the Oresteia and, with the assistance of director Nicholas Rudall, an abridged stage adaptation which transforms the Oresteia into an effective modern stage play. Includes introductory material. Cloth edition ($32.50). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Though it's tempting to imagine the late English poet laureate's long tortured relationship with the image of (his wife) feminist heroine Sylvia Plath as its subtext, this vivid free-verse translation of Aeschylus' dark and bloody tragic trilogy (comprising Agamemnon, Choephori, and Eumenides) more properly evinces Hughes's wide range of interests and mastery of classic literatures. His nearly conversational rhythms produce an arresting mixture of colloquialism and formality, enlivened by strong imagery (as in the matricidal Orestes' declaration that "This house has been the goblet / That the demon of homicide, unquenchable, / Has loved to drain"), and only infrequently weakened by astonishing woodenness—as in Clytemnestra's cool reply to the Chorus who lament her murder of her husband: "You think I'm an irresponsible woman? / You are making a mistake"). Perhaps not the ultimate "acting edition" it claims to be, but, still, an essential further installment in the always interesting oeuvre of a gifted poet who was also a diligent scholar.

Kirkus Reviews