Summary: Oresteia, Aeschylus. Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy: summary and description

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, a Greek city near Athens, in 525 BC. e. He was the first of the great Greek tragedians, the forerunner of such writers as Sophocles and Euripides, and many scholars recognize him as the creator of the tragic drama. Unfortunately, only seven plays written by Aeschylus survived to the modern era - "Prometheus Chained", "Oresteia", "Seven against Thebes" and others. Before him, plays as a genre were in an undeveloped state, with one actor and a choir that offered commentary. In his works, Aeschylus added a "second actor" (often more than one), creating a series of new possibilities for dramatic art.

He lived to 456 BC. BC, fighting in wars against Persia, and also achieving great recognition in the world of the Athenian theater. This article will consider the trilogy that Aeschylus wrote - "Oresteia". A summary of the cycle will be revealed separately for each tragedy.

What does the trilogy include?

"Agamemnon" is the first play from the trilogy "Oresteia" by Aeschylus, the other two parts are "Choephors" and "Eumenides". This trilogy is the only one that has come down to us in its entirety from Ancient Greece. It is considered by many critics to be the greatest Athenian tragedy ever written due to its idiosyncratic poetry and strong characters.

Aeschylus "Oresteia": a summary of the tragedies

"Agamemnon" describes an attempt by Clytemnestra and her lover on one of the main characters, whose name was given to the first tragedy. The tragedy of Choephora continues the story, describing the return of Agamemnon's son Orestes, who kills his mother, and thereby avenges the other parent. In the last work of the trilogy, The Eumenides, Orestes is persecuted by the Erinyes as punishment for matricide, and finally finds refuge in Athens, where the goddess Athena frees him from persecution. Let us take a closer look at the summary of Aeschylus' Oresteia presented in this article.

A brief overview of the first part of the trilogy

Before us is a detailed description of the return to the homeland of Agamemnon, king of Argos, from the Trojan War. In the palace, his wife, Clytemnestra, is waiting for him, who planned his murder, firstly, as revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, whose name was Iphigenia, and, secondly, due to the fact that during the ten-year absence of Agamemnon she entered into adultery with Aegisthus, her husband's cousin. The last one is the only onethe surviving brother, dispossessed of his family and determined to reclaim the throne he believes should rightfully be his.

Aeschylus "Oresteia": "Agamemnon" (summary)

"Agamemnon" begins from the moment when the sentry on duty, being on the roof of the palace in Argos, is waiting for a signal that would mean the fall of Troy in front of the Greek army. The beacon flashes, and he joyfully runs to tell the news to Queen Clytemnestra. As he leaves, the choir, made up of the old men of Argos, tells the story of how the Trojan prince Paris stole Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaus, which led to a ten-year war between Greece and Troy. The chorus then recalls how Clytemnestra's husband, Agamemnon (brother of Menelaus), sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis in exchange for a favorable wind for the Greek fleet.

The Queen appears and the choir asks her why she ordered a thanksgiving service. She tells them that the beacon system brought word that Troy had fallen the previous night. The chorus praises the gods, but then wonders if her news is true; a messenger appears and confirms everything, describing the suffering of the army near Troy, and thanks for the safe return home. Clytemnestra sends him back to Agamemnon to return quickly, but before he leaves, the chorus asks for news of Menelaus. The herald replies that a terrible storm overtook the Greek fleet on their way home, so Menelaus and many others were missing.

The choir sings about the terriblethe destructive power of Elena's beauty. Agamemnon appears on a chariot with Cassandra, a Trojan princess whom he has made his slave and concubine. Clytemnestra invites him, openly demonstrates her love, which is not really there, and organizes a bright reception for him, spreading a purple carpet in front of him. Agamemnon treats her coldly and says that walking on the carpet would be an act of arrogance or excessive arrogance; she insists, begging him to walk on the carpet, and he enters the palace.

Chorus portends trouble; Clytemnestra goes outside to invite Cassandra inside. The Trojan princess is silent and the queen leaves her in despair. Then Cassandra begins to speak, uttering incoherent prophecies about a curse on the house of Agamemnon. She tells the chorus that they will see their king dead and she will also die, and then predicts that an avenger will come to them. After these bold predictions, the soothsayer seems to resign herself to her fate and enters the house. The choir's fears grow as they hear Agamemnon crying in pain. As they discuss what to do, the doors open and Clytemnestra appears, towering over the corpses of her husband and Cassandra. She declares that she killed him to avenge her daughter, and announces her relationship with Aegisthus, her lover. The chorus declares that Orestes will return from exile to avenge his father.

A short review of the tragedy "Khoefory"

"Choephors" is the second work that is part of the trilogy "Oresteia" by Aeschylus. It deals with the reunion of the children of Agamemnon, namely Orestes andElectra, and their revenge. Orestes takes the life of Clytemnestra to avenge the death of Agamemnon, his father.

The second part of the trilogy

Summary of "Oresteia" by Aeschylus will continue with a presentation of the events of the second tragedy - "Choephora", in which the main place is given to such concepts as revenge and murder. Orestes arrives at the grave of his parent, accompanied by his cousin Pylades, son of King Phocis; there he leaves a few strands of hair. Orestes and Pylades hide, as Electra, sister of Orestes, also comes to the grave, accompanied by a female choir, to perform an act of libation (part of the sacrificial process) on the grave; they were sent by Clytemnestra to, in her words, "repel harm". Once the ritual activities are over, Elektra sees strands of hair on the grave that remind her of her own hair. At that moment, Orestes and Pylades come out of hiding, and Orestes gradually convinces her that he really is her brother.

It's time for the most difficult part of the Greek tragedies that have come down to us, when the chorus, Orestes and Electra are trying to summon the spirit of the deceased Agamemnon to help them take revenge. Orestes wonders why Clytemnestra sent to commit an act of libation, what led her to such a decision. The Chorus replies that Clytemnestra was awakened from her sleep by a nightmare: she dreamed that she gave birth to a snake, which is currently being suckled from her chest and feeds in this way not only on her milk, but also on her blood. Concerned about this possible sign of God's wrath, the woman sendsElectra to the grave of the deceased husband to perform a rite of reassurance. Orestes believes that he appears in the form of a snake in his mother's dream and, together with his sister, plans to avenge his parent, planning to kill Aegisthus and Clytemnestra herself.

Orestes and Pylades pretend to be strangers and inform the queen that Orestes is already dead. Overjoyed at this news, Clytemnestra sends a servant for Aegisthus and he arrives. Later, Clytemnestra sees Orestes standing over the body of Aegisthus. Then Orestes is put in a difficult situation: in order to avenge his father, he must kill the one who gave birth to him. The woman bares her breasts, begging him for mercy and declaring, "Be ashamed, child." Orestes turns to his close friend Pylades, son of King Phocis, and asks, "Should I be ashamed of killing my mother?"

Riddle question

There are a lot of moments that require reflection in the trilogy written by Aeschylus - "Oresteia". The analysis of one specialist may be radically different from the opinion of others. Many interpreters believe that Orestes' question is related to a broader topic: a person sometimes encounters difficulties that cannot be solved, for example, Orestes' family obligation to one parent is radically opposed to family obligation to another. There is another point of view. This may seem like little more than a rhetorical question, since Orestes readily accepts Pylades' advice about the right thing to do. Many scholars have studied the trilogy, such as G. Ch. Huseynov. "Oresteia" by Aeschylusis one of the objects of his research.

Pylades begs Orestes not to forget his duty to Apollo. Orestes, after the murder, hides the bodies under the clothes his father wore. As soon as he leaves the house, the Erinyes begin to harass him. Orestes flees in an agonizing panic. The Chorus prophesies that the violent cycle will not be stopped by killing Clytemnestra.

A short review of the Eumenides tragedy

The final part of the trilogy "Oresteia" by Aeschylus is a tragedy in which Orestes, Apollo and Erinyes come to the Areopagus. Athena arrives with the judges; they decide if Orestes is guilty of killing his mother.

Summary of the third part of the trilogy

Orestes is tormented by the persecution of the Erinyes (furies), who are deities engaged in revenge for unjust deeds. Thanks to outside instigation, he committed the murder of his mother. At Apollo in Delphi, Orestes finds peace, and God, who is unable to save him from the inconsolable wrath of the Erinyes, sends him on his way, and himself, using spells, tries to detain the Erinyes.

Clytemnestra appears as a ghost, but how and from where is unknown… Her appearance was like a dream. She calls on the sleeping Furies to continue their hunt for Orestes. As soon as one of the Erinyes begins to awaken, the ghost departs. The appearance of the Erinyes permeates the feeling of the chase: they sing in unison, awaken quickly and bewitchingly, and intend to find the smell of fragrant blood that will bring them to Orestes. Legend has it that the premiere of a play written by Aeschylus (the Oresteia trilogy was a success at the time) causedso much horror in the audience that one pregnant lady had a miscarriage and died on the spot.

Decisive Moment

Tracking, the furies capture him. Athena intervenes with the Athenians to judge Orestes. Apollo becomes the protector of Orestes, while the Erinyes act on the side of the dead Clytemnestra. During the trial, Athena, under pressure from Apollo, agrees that a man is of greater importance than a woman. There is a count, and it turns out that an equal number of votes has been obtained. She then sways the Erinyes into accepting the verdict, and they eventually agree. In addition, they will now be part of the citizens of Athens and ensure the good standing of the city. Athena also declares that the accused must be acquitted, since mercy must always rise above cruelty. This is the idea that the author of the trilogy wanted to convey.

Instead of a conclusion

Aeschylus' Oresteia, summarized above, is the only surviving example of a trilogy from that time. At the festival in Dionysia 458 BC. e. she won first prize. It was originally accompanied by the satirical drama Proteus, which, however, has not survived. In all likelihood, the term "Oresteia" originally referred to all four pieces.