The Oresteia

Oresteia:

General Overview

Question: Who wrote The Oresteia, and when was it first performed?

Answer: The Oresteia was written by Aeschylus and first performed in 458 BCE at the Dionysia festival in Athens.

Question: What are the three plays in The Oresteia?

Answer: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides.

Question: What is the central conflict of The Oresteia?

Answer: The cycle of blood vengeance within the House of Atreus and the eventual shift from personal revenge to a system of legal justice.

Question: How does The Oresteia reflect the transition in Greek society?

Answer: It represents the shift from a system of personal vendetta to a structured legal system as seen in Athens.

Plot Breakdown

Agamemnon (First Play)

Question: Where does Agamemnon take place, and what event has just occurred?

Answer: It takes place in Argos, just after the Greeks have won the Trojan War.

Question: How is the news of Troy’s fall brought to Argos?

Answer: A system of signal fires, a form of ancient telegraphy.

Question: Who is Clytemnestra, and what role does she play in Agamemnon?

Answer: She is Agamemnon’s wife, who has been ruling Argos in his absence and plots his murder.

Question: Why does Clytemnestra want to kill Agamemnon?

Answer: She seeks revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia, and has also taken Aegisthus as her lover.

Question: Who is Aegisthus, and what is his motivation for revenge?

Answer: He is the cousin of Agamemnon and the son of Thyestes, who seeks revenge because Agamemnon’s father, Atreus, killed his brothers.

Question: Who is Cassandra, and what is her fate?

Answer: Cassandra is a Trojan princess and a prophetess, taken as a war prize by Agamemnon. She foresees her own murder but is powerless to stop it.

Question: How does Clytemnestra kill Agamemnon?

Answer: She traps him in a net while he is bathing and stabs him multiple times.

Question: How does Clytemnestra justify Agamemnon’s murder?

Answer: She claims it is divine justice for the murder of Iphigenia.

Question: What is the Chorus’s reaction to the murder?

Answer: They are horrified but also acknowledge that Agamemnon's fate is part of a cycle of revenge.

The Libation Bearers (Second Play)

Question: What does the title The Libation Bearers refer to?

Answer: It refers to the women who bring offerings (libations) to Agamemnon’s grave.

Question: Who is Orestes, and why does he return to Argos?

Answer: Orestes is the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. He returns to avenge his father’s murder, following Apollo’s command.

Question: Who is Electra, and what role does she play?

Answer: She is Orestes’ sister, who prays for vengeance and helps him carry out the plan.

Question: What is the significance of Orestes recognizing Electra at the tomb?

Answer: It signifies their unity in seeking revenge and fulfilling their father’s honor.

Question: How does Orestes justify killing his mother?

Answer: He believes it is his divine duty as commanded by Apollo.

Question: What happens immediately after Orestes kills Clytemnestra?

Answer: He is haunted by the Furies (Erinyes), spirits of vengeance who punish matricide.

The Eumenides (Third Play)

Question: Where does The Eumenides begin?

Answer: At Apollo’s temple in Delphi, where Orestes seeks purification.

Question: Who defends Orestes in his trial?

Answer: Apollo.

Question: Who prosecutes Orestes?

Answer: The Furies, who demand justice for matricide.

Question: Where does the trial take place, and who presides over it?

Answer: In Athens, with Athena as the judge.

Question: How does Athena resolve the case?

Answer: She casts the deciding vote in Orestes’ favor, acquitting him.

Question: What happens to the Furies after the trial?

Answer: They are transformed into the Eumenides ("Kindly Ones") and become protectors of justice rather than vengeance.

Question: What is the significance of the trial?

Answer: It marks the end of the cycle of blood revenge and the establishment of legal justice.

Themes and Symbolism

Question: What does The Oresteia say about justice?

Answer: It presents the evolution from personal revenge to state-sanctioned justice.

Question: How is gender depicted in the trilogy?

Answer: Clytemnestra defies traditional gender roles, and Athena’s ruling favors the patriarchal order.

Question: What role do the gods play in The Oresteia?

Answer: They influence human actions and represent different aspects of justice (Apollo = divine command, Athena = balance, Furies = retribution).

Question: What is the significance of blood in the trilogy?

Answer: Blood represents both familial ties and the endless cycle of revenge.

Question: How does the play reflect Athenian values?

Answer: It reinforces Athenian democracy and the city’s legal system.

Key Quotes & Their Meanings

Question: “The man who acts must suffer.” – What does this mean?

Answer: Actions have consequences, reinforcing the theme of fate and justice.

Question: “There is no escape from all of this—the blood that’s wrenched from you.” – Who says this and why?

Answer: The Furies, emphasizing the inevitability of vengeance.

Question: “I embrace you... I will not bring hatred into your house.” – Who says this and what does it signify?

Answer: Athena, when she pacifies the Furies, symbolizing reconciliation and justice.

Final Summary Questions

Question: How does The Oresteia resolve the conflict between revenge and justice?

Answer: Through the establishment of a legal court system, replacing personal revenge.

Question: What role does Athena play in the trilogy’s conclusion?

Answer: She provides a fair legal judgment and pacifies the Furies, creating order.

Question: How does Orestes’ trial parallel Athenian democracy?

Answer: It mirrors the idea of trial by jury and fair legal proceedings.

Question: Why is The Oresteia still relevant today?

Answer: It explores themes of justice, gender roles, divine influence, and moral responsibility.