Product Description
Classic trilogy by great tragedian deals with the bloody history of the House of Atreus. Grand in style, rich in diction and dramatic dialogue, the plays embody Aeschylus’ concerns with the destiny and fate of both individuals and the state, all played out under the watchful eye of the gods.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Too Antique for Ancient Aeschylus
This 'late Victorian-style' translation, by A. Morshead, was first published as vol. 8 of The Harvard Classics in 1909. To my eyes, it's unreadable, full of pompous syntax and jangling rhymes, replete with archaic language that alludes more to Medieval epic than to classic Greek. It has been re-issued as a Dover Thrift Edition at giveaway price; to be blunt, it should be retired forevermore. Any poor reader who encounters Aeschylus in this form first will never be tempted to look at another Greek drama.
See my review of Robert Lowell's 'adaptation' of the Oresteia for some thoughts about the original. That translation is also inadequate, but at least readable. I'm still searching for a better choice.

A Scene Not Worth Seeing
The value of The Oresteia Trilogy, written by Aeschylus in the fifth century B.C., can be described as educational and informative.However, the entertainment value, by present day's standards, is extremely lacking.The lengthy speeches and lack of physical action are too restricting for today's drama.A performance of The Oresteia Trilogy, while well regarded in theater departments of universities, would not be well received by an audience looking for a night of entertainment.The tragedy set in ancient Greece in 1250 B.C. tells the background and story of Orestes, the son of a king.He vows to avenge his father's murder by his mother, Clytemnestra.The Oresteia Trilogy is missing the ability to provide the audience with entertainment and information at the same time, which is a key concept for an enjoyable experience.
In the Golden Age of Athens, the time and city of Aeschylus, drama and the idea of a pure democracy were two of many advances.In The Oresteia Trilogy as well as many of the other plays Aeschylus wrote, he introduced many innovations to go along with the progressing times.A reduced chorus, more dialogue, poetic diction, as well as elaborate staging and multiple actors are all a result of Aeschylus's influence.The idea of democracy is also introduced in the third play of the trilogy, "The Furies."A court is held with what is now known as a jury of peers, which now plays an important role in today's courtrooms.The importance of The Oresteia Trilogy in today's society is that it gave one of the first glimpses of justice working in the democratic court system.
In relation to many plays with tragic themes, it is fair to say Aeschylus's The Oresteia Trilogy is archaic, as far as relating to current society.Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, also a tragedy, can be related to the modern-day teen, such as myself, easily.It involves the story of two young adults, in love, with the problem of their families being at conflict for many years.They struggle to stay together only to both resolve to suicide.However, many adolescents can relate to their own families disapproval of the person they date.Conversely, in The Oresteia Trilogy I found it difficult to relate to any one character.The story involves the sacrifice of a daughter, Iphigenia; the murder of a husband and king, Agamemnon; and the murder of a mother, Clytemnestra, by her son, Orestes.Throughout this whole plot, it was challenging to align with any single event or character in the story.The adultery present can be related to the contemporary culture as well as the trial of Orestes, but as a whole the play resulted in little connection with the youth in today's world.
The predictability of the story line was also a disappointing part of the reading process.After the first play, "Agamemnon," the second two plays, "The Libation-Bearers" and "The Furies," seemed to be unsurprising and expected.The audience is able to predict the murder of Clytemnestra and the role of Orestes.One unknowledgeable fact in the beginning is the fate of Orestes.However, after the first several pages of "The Furies" that, as well, can be foreseen.
Finally, while the entertainment value of Aeschylus's trilogy is not adequate, the educational worth is ample.After reading the plays, one has a better understanding of the time period surrounding 1250 B.C.These works resulted in a greater comprehension of the religious beliefs of the time, which include a polytheistic view with the gods working directly with the common people.Also, mentioned was the government, in the form of kings and queens, as well a brief glimpse of the Trojan War.Knowledge of the fifth century drama presentation using a chorus and less direct dialogue between characters was also achieved when reading The Oresteia Trilogy.
As times have changed, so has the overall worthiness of Aeschylus's The Oresteia Trilogy.It is worthwhile for the reader to both attain knowledge and experience entertainment.Other representations of a tragedy are available that reach this goal.The Oresteia Trilogy does not accomplish both these goals, and therefore, cause the audience to lessen their purpose in reading.While the educational purposes of reading this particular trilogy are present and effective, if the fundamental reason to read is entertainment, it is worthwhile to look at different tragic plays available.The plot and the author's ability to relate the characters to the reader are downfalls for the audience and could lead to a great disappointment.

The Evil Sex?
I don't consider myself a women's rights activist my any means, but upon reading Aeschylus' tragedy The Oresteia Trilogy I was able to sympathize with them.I felt these play, written between 500-400B.C. in Greece, portrayed women as the lesser sex.They were presented as evil, worthless, conspiring creatures.I truly appreciate the poetic text of the play, for it was beautifully written.But I feel that Aeschylus' portrayal of the women was a little harsh.
The three plays that form the trilogy tell the story of the curse of the house of Atreus.In the first play, "Agamemnon," Agamemnon, king of the city of Mycene, is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra after he returns home from the ten year long Trojan War.In the second play, "The Libation-Bearers," Agamemnon's son Orestes avenges the death of his father by slaying his mother Clytemnestra.The third play entitled "The Furies" is about Orestes struggle with the furies, creatures from the underground that come to torment Orestes about his mother's death.
In the first play the chorus, which consists of the elders of the city, tells the story of the start of the Trojan War and its causes.They blame the whole war on a woman, Helen.Helen was the reason for the war, but it wasn't her fault, as the chorus says it to be.When one reads the play they begin to hate Helen because the chorus belittles her so much.They don't place any of the blame on Paris who actually stole her, simply because she was the most beautiful woman in the world.Is it right to fault someone because of a pretty face?It was said that Helen went willingly, without any struggle.The chorus constantly ridicules her saying that she is an adulteress and the cause of all the fighting and death; "Slain for a women's sin, a false wife's shame!"("Agamenon"pg.17). She might have went willingly, but could she have prevented Paris from taking her?
"Not the true parent is the mother's womb, she doth but nurse the seed new-sown: the male is the parent; she for him, as stranger for a stranger, hoards the gem."("The Furies" pg137).This is a quote from the god Apollo describing the role of women.He claims that the man is the only parent of a child.The only thing that the woman does is house the man's seed until the child is born.Apollo argues that a women has no role in the actual creation of a child, it is the man's seed that forms the child.He also claims that the killing of a husband is far worse than the killing of a mother.But is one truly worse than the other?
In the third play malevolent creatures from the underworld arise to torment Orestes about the murder of his mother.These monsters, known as furies, are despised by all.They are known as spiteful, revengeful, and evil.They are also all women.One could possible argue that they are women because they are avenging a matricide, but we can't be fully confident of the underlying meaning of the all women furies.
I understand that times have changed dramatically from the time that Aeschylus wrote, and that our perception of many things, especially the role and treatment of women, are different.But I feel that the women in this play really received a bad rap.Are women really the evil sex?

Two Thumbs Up
"The Eumenides" was a captivating play with a few minor flaws.To fully understand the play, one must first understand the history that went on before the play took place. "The Eumenides" was written by Aeschylus and is also known as "The Furies", the third play of The Oresteia Trilogy.This play is set around the time period of 1250 B.C., approximately the same time as the Trojan War.The main character of the play is Orestes from Argos.In the plays before "The Eumenides", Orestes killed his mom, Clytemnestra, who killed Orestes' dad, Agamemnon, after he returned home from war.Orestes was told by Apollo to kill his mom in order to avenge his father's death.Therefore, this is the reason "The Eumenides" began at Apollo's temple.
Aeschylus was an Athenian man who wrote thirteen first place plays.He wrote this tragedy around 458 B.C.This play had some new innovations for its time period, such as a second actor, elaborate staging, and poetic diction.Aeschylus was in the navy at Salamis and took part in the Persian Invasion in 480 B.C.He died in 456 B.C., when an eagle dropped a tortoise on his head, crushing his skull.
"The Eumenides" was a great play, as were the other two of the trilogy.The poetic words seemed to flow from the actors' mouths, maybe a little too much when the Furies spoke prior to the trial.The Furies were annoying throughout the play and had too many rambling speaking parts.However, the play contained a practical plot line that is still fit for today's society, even though it was written some 2,461 years ago.I enjoyed seeing how the people from long ago dealt with similar issues, which still haunt our society today.
The plot appeared to flow steadily throughout the play.All of the various scenes streamed together and gave an insight into what life was like for Orestes.However, there wasn't much action throughout the play, but the lack of action was made up with suspense provided during the trial.Overall, Aeschylus did an excellent job writing the play.
Throughout "The Eumenides" Aeschylus chose his words perfectly.The poetic words surged smoothly through the actors' mouths.Perhaps one of the most interesting parts was listening to how Aeschylus managed to make rhymes that lasted for a good five minutes, while still making sense.He also used excellent metaphors and similes to emphasize certain points being made during the trial.Although the words may have been offensive to some, they helped highlight the common thought most people had in that time period.The language was difficult to understand at first, but as the play went on, the language became easier to understand. Perhaps one of the best qualities about this play is how it relates to today's society.We are still forced to judge whether a person is innocent or guilty of murder.We still ask God for help and believe that God knows best for us.We also have a similar court system, such as the one the Athenians used."The Eumenides" shows how we should always obey our God, just as the Athenians did because God will always be on our side, just like Apollo was towards Orestes.In addition, it was interesting to see how the gods interacted with the humans in the Greek times.The play made it clear that gods played a huge role in the decision making at the trial and all other life decisions of the citizens.
Most of "The Eumenides" was entertaining; however, there were a few dreadful parts.Before the trial, the Furies spoke way too much.The Furies points could have been made in a one or two minute speech, instead of an eight to ten minute speech.Moreover, the way the Furies talked was annoying.I couldn't stand to listen to one of them start a line, and another one finish it.It was hard to tell who was talking because they wore masks.Furthermore, the Furies continual swaying movement drove me crazy.
The actors and costumes were a perfect match for the play.The actors appeared very natural at their roles.They weren't too dramatic, but they weren't stoic either.The costumes were great as well.They had just enough clues to be able to tell who was who.
Overall, the "perfectly cast" actors speak their words poetically throughout the play.In addition, it is refreshing to watch a play in which the old-fashioned props and costumes are used.Plus, I like the idea of religion playing a prominent part in the characters' lives, since most modern plays try to avoid religion."The Eumenides" isn't just the greatest play of The Oresteia Trilogy, but one of the greatest plays of all time.

The Verdict, "Two Thumbs Up"
...
"The Eumenides" was a captivating play with a few minor flaws.To fully understand the play, one must first understand the history that went on before the play took place. "The Eumenides" was written by Aeschylus and is also known as "The Furies", the third play of The Oresteia Trilogy.This play is set around the time period of 1250 B.C., approximately the same time as the Trojan War.The main character of the play is Orestes from Argos.In the plays before "The Eumenides", Orestes killed his mom, Clytemnestra, who killed Orestes' dad, Agamemnon, after he returned home from war.Orestes was told by Apollo to kill his mom in order to avenge his father's death.Therefore, this is the reason "The Eumenides" began at Apollo's temple.
Aeschylus was an Athenian man who wrote thirteen first place plays.He wrote this tragedy around 458 B.C.This play had some new innovations for its time period, such as a second actor, elaborate staging, and poetic diction.Aeschylus was in the navy at Salamis and

...
Page 2

took part in the Persian Invasion in 480 B.C.He died in 456 B.C., when an eagle dropped a tortoise on his head, crushing his skull.
"The Eumenides" was a great play, as were the other two of the trilogy.The poetic words seemed to flow from the actors' mouths, maybe a little too much when the Furies spoke prior to the trial.The Furies were annoying throughout the play and had too many rambling speaking parts.However, the play contained a practical plot line that is still fit for today's society, even though it was written some 2,461 years ago.I enjoyed seeing how the people from long ago dealt with similar issues, which still haunt our society today.
The plot appeared to flow steadily throughout the play.All of the various scenes streamed together and gave an insight into what life was like for Orestes.However, there wasn't much action throughout the play, but the lack of action was made up with suspense provided during the trial.Overall, Aeschylus did an excellent job writing the play.
Throughout "The Eumenides" Aeschylus chose his words perfectly.The poetic words surged smoothly through the actors' mouths.Perhaps one of the most interesting parts was listening to how Aeschylus managed to make rhymes that lasted for a good five minutes, while still making sense.He also used excellent metaphors and similes to emphasize certain points being made during the trial.Although the words may have been offensive to some, they helped highlight the common thought most people had in that time period.The language was difficult to understand at first, but as the play went on, the language became easier to understand.

...
Page 3
Perhaps one of the best qualities about this play is how it relates to today's society.We are still forced to judge whether a person is innocent or guilty of murder.We still ask God for help and believe that God knows best for us.We also have a similar court system, such as the one the Athenians used."The Eumenides" shows how we should always obey our God, just as the Athenians did because God will always be on our side, just like Apollo was towards Orestes.In addition, it was interesting to see how the gods interacted with the humans in the Greek times.The play made it clear that gods played a huge role in the decision making at the trial and all other life decisions of the citizens.
Most of "The Eumenides" was entertaining; however, there were a few dreadful parts.Before the trial, the Furies spoke way too much.The Furies points could have been made in a one or two minute speech, instead of an eight to ten minute speech.Moreover, the way the Furies talked was annoying.I couldn't stand to listen to one of them start a line, and another one finish it.It was hard to tell who was talking because they wore masks.Furthermore, the Furies continual swaying movement drove me crazy.
The actors and costumes were a perfect match for the play.The actors appeared very natural at their roles.They weren't too dramatic, but they weren't stoic either.The costumes were great as well.They had just enough clues to be able to tell who was who.
Overall, the "perfectly cast" actors speak their words poetically throughout the play.In addition, it is refreshing to watch a play in which the old-fashioned props and costumes are used.Plus, I like the idea of religion playing a prominent part in the characters' lives, since most modern plays try to avoid religion."The Eumenides" isn't just the greatest play of The Oresteia Trilogy, but one of the greatest plays of all time. ... Read more

Product Description
Written primarily in Greek, 1991 edition.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Immortal Play, Questionable Edition
There is no denying The Eumenides' greatness and profound importance; it is a foundational text not only in drama but in literature itself and remains a clear masterpiece after nearly 2,500 years. However, since it is part of the Orestia trilogy, and there are many editions with all three plays, it is hard to justify a standalone, especially as one can get all three for little or no more than this.

As the earliest known dramatist whose work survives, Aeschylus' influence is impossible to exaggerate, and this is his greatest known achievement. The story itself is enough to captivate after all this time; the profound tragedy still stirs elements deep within us. This is in large part due to the characters, many of whom have become archetypes. As far removed as they and their events seem from today, they are recognizably human with all-too-human flaws and frailties; we feel for them because we see ourselves in them. With its background of intrafamily murders and constant high pitch emotions, the melodramatic plot initially seems to have nothing to do with our world; ditto for the gods, curses, and other such factors. However, the underlying themes are still very much with us - are indeed as relevant as ever and likely always will be. We still struggle with issues like family strife, political succession, revenge ethics, crime and punishment, and the free will question. Agamemnon dramatizes these with unforgettable vividness and provokes at least as much thought as ever. It is essential reading for anyone with even the slightest interest in drama, history, or ancient Greece - indeed, literature itself.

Again, though, it is much better experienced in full and also more affordable and convenient. Readers would do well to get the trilogy, of which I recommend the Robert Fagles translation, which is undoubtedly the best for current readers. It is not that prior ones are inaccurate, but inevitable language changes have made them ever less readable; some may think them more stately, but they lack Fagles' flow and readability. Dedicated Greekless readers will of course want to read several, but neophytes should start with Fagles, the only version most will ever need.

Eumenides Shumenides
Aeschylus' The Eumenides is the third part of the Orestia Trilogy, recounting the murder of king Agamemnon and the blood bath that comes afterward.Personally I wouldn't have read it if I didn't have to (I'm required to by my English teacher).It was one of the hardest things I've had to read in a long time, and even wen I got the jist of what was going on it still didn't flatter me.If you really want to enjoy what the play has to offer I would recommend seeing it in a theatre, not trying to read it and understand it.

Superb Greek text and commentary.
(Note: just in case you don't know this: this edition is in ANCIENT GREEK, not English. The only English is in the [voluminous] notes, not a translation.)
I found this edition of the third play of Aeschylus' Oresteia very fine and very complete, and I was able to read all of the Eumenides with it -- and I am only in my second year of Greek (although my dedication may be above average). Sommerstein hits all the notes and remains balanced. The emendations are eminently well-defended; the meters are clear; the notes are thick and well-written. The historical overview of the years leading up to 458, when the play was produced, is unusually thorough for a book like this and deserves to become the standard for all such introductions. The cross-referencing with lines from other Greek literature is exhaustive and complete; much of the cross-referencing to different articles and works by modern authors impresses as well, with one caveat below.
Depending on which kind of an Oresteia scholar you are, you may become frustrated with this book. In his notes, Sommerstein evades many of the gender issues that are seen by some as essential to the play. This is done with the utmost in skill, though, so if you didn't know (or couldn't read or think) you might think there were no gender issues in the play. Hand-in-hand with this fact, he ignores important American writing on the Oresteia (done by Froma Zeitlin in her bold, some might venture to say excessive, but nonetheless important 1977 article "The Dynamics of Misogyny," for example) and does subscribe to a view of the Oresteia with which I have great sympathy, but that some may find naively progressive. To wit, Sommerstein believes the Oresteia to be about joy, triumph, cooperation in Athens, and a new era.

Overall, regardless of these matters this book is very fine. I would certainly use it were I to teach a reading class on the play.

The Final Third of Aeschylus' Masterpiece
This final part of Aeschylus' trilogy in no way falls short of part 1 and 2. Orestes stands trial before the gods for his actions in part 2. Aeschylus DOES NOT allow the suspense to slack for a single moment! While Iread this, I was pretty close to hyperventilating. Basically the fight incourt comes down to Athena (the goddess of wisdon and Zeus' favorite child)and Apollo (the embodiement of reason) vs the furies. When Athena andApollo defeated the furies, I can not overestimate the relief I felt. Thistrilogy is truly the gem in Greek Mythology. ... Read more

Product Description
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

One of the founding documents of Western culture and the only surviving ancient Greek trilogy, the Oresteia of Aeschylus is one of the great tragedies of all time.

The three plays of the Oresteia portray the bloody events that follow the victorious return of King Agamemnon from the Trojan War, at the start of which he had sacrificed his daughter Iphigeneia to secure divine favor. After Iphi-geneia’s mother, Clytemnestra, kills her husband in revenge, she in turn is murdered by their son Orestes with his sister Electra’s encouragement. Orestes is pursued by the Furies and put on trial, his fate decided by the goddess Athena. Far more than the story of murder and ven-geance in the royal house of Atreus, the Oresteia serves as a dramatic parable of the evolution of justice and civilization that is still powerful after 2,500 years.

The trilogy is presented here in George Thomson’s classic translation, renowned for its fidelity to the rhythms and richness of the
original Greek. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a less published but formidable translation
as always, the package is wonderful. everyman covers are splendid and the pages are fine paper. the translation is less widely available than the grene lattimore or the fagles translations but it is no less masterful. justice is done to this classic. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Out of the past
Unfortuneately these plays don't stand up as witty or interesting.
I purchased them for the play Easy Virtue. This was the worst of the plays. Characters uninteresting,dialogue slow and not very clever.
i had hopes of enjoying the upcoming film but this seems doubtful.
Hayfever and The Vortex are a load of corn. Coward has either faded with his time or he had to be there to read the lines. ... Read more

Product Description
The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there.Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free.Subtitle: Translations by E.d.a. Morshead, E.h. Plumptre, Gilbert Murray and B.b. Rogers, With Introductions, Notes and IllustrationsOriginal Publisher: P.F. Collier Publication date: 1909Subjects: DramaGreek drama; Oedipus (Greek mythology); Antigone (Greek mythology); Drama / Ancient, Classical ... Read more

Product Description
This book is an anthology of thirteen of the most important articles published on Aeschylus in the last fifty years. It gives roughly equal coverage to the seven surviving plays, and there is also a chapter which places them in the context of Aeschylus' work as a whole. Three articles have been translated into English for the first time, and others have a fresh foreword or postscript by the author. Greek quotations have been translated for the benefit of those reading the plays in English. The editor has supplied a substantial introduction and an index. ... Read more

Product Description
Translated by Edmund Doidge Anderson Morshead ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Everything is in it, if you can find it
This book is perfect for any student (especially college students) of the Greek tragedies, even though it focuses on Aeschylus' 7 plays.The reason are the discussions of the line-by-line (I'm not kidding when I mean "line-by-line") examinations of grammar, syntax, and possible double meanings.Unfortunately, although there is an enormous amount of information and summary analyzations of the plays and its characters, they are not easily found as topics are not segmented with titles within the chapters themselves.But I still found every little piece of info. I was looking for (and more!), eventually. ... Read more

Product Description
In his Prometheus Bound, the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus presents the dramatic conflict between the free spirit of human progress and the limitations set by divine law. Prometheus was chained to a mountain, sentenced to endure a hideous and eternal torture for wresting fire from the gods to bring it to earth. His story has become a universal symbol for human strength of character, achievement, and enlightenment. Roche's translation captures the force, the beauty and the nobility of the original play.

Roche's moving translation of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (3rd reprint of the 1962 edition) is enhanced by:
- Introduction setting the literary and historical context of the play.
- Notes on Production
- An Informal Survey on the Greek Theater
- Glossary of Names and Places
- 10 original illustrations by Kapheim

Also available:

Aeschylus: Seven Against Thebes - ISBN 0865163375
Drosilla and Charikles: A Byzantine Novel - ISBN 086516536X

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

Some of the areas we publish in include:

Selections From The Aeneid
Latin Grammar & Pronunciation
Greek Grammar & Pronunciation
Texts Supporting Wheelock's Latin
Classical author workbooks: Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Cicero
Vocabulary Cards For AP Selections: Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Horace
Greek Mythology
Greek Lexicon
Slovak Culture And History ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Aeschylus presents the first stage in the evolution of Zeus
There was a point at which some critics contended that "Prometheus Bound" was not actually written by Aeschylus, arguing that someone else, perhaps his son Euphorion, who was also a dramatist, was the actual author. The argument hinged on the portrait of Zeus in the play, which is highly critical of the king of the Gods and at odds with the wise and just Zeus Aeschylus presents in the "Orestia." Since we have only a half-dozen complete plays of the ninety Aeschylus is believed to have written, it is difficult to make a judgment regarding his entire body of work. However, we do have fragments from the other plays in the trilogy, "Prometheus Unbound" and "Prometheus the Fire-Carrier," which suggest that what happens in this first play sets the stage for an evolving Zeus, who eventually finds his better nature when he achieves a reconciliation with the rebel Titan. Given the dramatic scope of the "Orestia," with its evolving notion of justice, it seems to me reasonable enough that Aeschylus was attempting something similar with this trilogy.

"Prometheus Bound" finds the titan, who defied Zeus and gave humanity the saving gift of fire (among other sins), bound on a remote mountain peak with iron spikes driven through his flesh by the unwilling Hephaestus and his assistants Might and Violence, allegorical figures who define the source of Zeus's power. The scenes of the play consist of a series of dialogues between Prometheus and the ancient god Oceanus (the chorus consists of the daughters of Oceanus), Io, a woman turned into a cow because of Zeus's attentions, and Hermes, who wants to know the secret held by Prometheus that threatens the power of Zeus. Prometheus (whose name means "foresight") refuses and is then cast into the underworld to be punished further. At the heart of the play is the conflict between the immovable will of Prometheus and the irresistible force of the power of Zeus.

Clearly this tragedy speaks to an archetypal human condition, wherein physical power seeks to break the mind of an individual to its will. The audience is caught in a dilemma, for on one side is the king of the gods and on the other is the savior of humanity, for without the gift of fire early man was doomed. Indeed, that was clearly the intent of Zeus. Consequently, like Prometheus, the audience is caught between their own rock and a hard place. Fortunately, by the end of the trilogy Aeschylus gives his audience an out, for the Zeus who is represented in this play is transformed into a more acceptable deity in the end. Even without those plays and knowing the innovative brilliance of Aeschylus as a tragic dramatist, we can certainly appreciate the overall story arc that begins with this play. For teachers who do not want to contend with the entire "Orestia" or have to contend with editing it down for students, "Prometheus Bound" represents a single work by Aeschylus that is equally as pivotal to our understanding of classical mythology.

Force vs. altruism.
The Titan Prometheus has stolen fire from heaven and given it to Earth's mortal inhabitants. He is punished for his presumption by being bound to a rock on Mount Caucasus and tortured. Prometheus, who can foretell thefuture, refuses to tell Zeus the secret of Zeus' downfall. This is a playof the conflict between force and injustice on one side and intelligence,justice, and altruism on the other. The play greatly influenced a widespectrum of later writers. It should be required reading in alluniversities. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Important in History, Literature and Anthropology
Physically, this is a nice book.It's volume one of a four volume collection, _The Complete Greek Tragedies_ (volume two is Sophocles and volumes three and four are Euripides), and all four volumes are lovely hardcovers, printed on nice paper, with handsome Greekish designs on the front and interspersed throughout.Maybe not so attractive as to go on your mantel, but their prominence in your library will not be an embarassment.

The contents are lovely to match.The translations (by Lattimore, Grene and Bernadete) are readable and flowing.The book has almost no footnotes (only Grene's translations of "Seven Against Thebes" and "Prometheus Bound" have any at all, and there they are sparse), but each play (or collection of plays, in the case of the Oresteia) is introduced by a brief explanatory essay.If you know nothing about the Greeks or Greek tragedy, these essays will not be enough to get you through (and you should check out Rose's _Handbook of Greek Literature_), but if you have a little background information already, the essays are helpful (especially the introductory essay to the Oresteia, which is the most fulsome).

Now, about the plays themselves.Of course, you have to read them.This is, effectively, the beginning of Western drama, and the combination of familiar and alien elements is fascinating.In some ways, Aeschylus's plays are like modern musicals, or like opera, with very few characters, a big role played by a chorus, and lots of long songs.Action happens all off-stage and is described by the characters.

In addition to being important as part of the history of drama, the plays are important primary sources of Greek mythology.In particular, the Oresteia is simply the most complete telling of the murder of Agammemnon and his children's revenge.In addition, "Prometheus Bound" is an important source for understanding the tale of the West's most famous fire-thief, and "Seven Against Thebes" gives detail and perspective about the tragedy of Oedipus not contained in Sophocles's retelling.

Finally, being the most ancient of the tragedians, Aeschylus gives narrative details that reflect a very ancient Greek culture, including, for instance, his ideas about justice and family and several descriptions of rites of aversion.Aeschylus is important -- read him.

Hard Initially, but Excellent
Lattimore's translation, I will admit, is difficult to get into at first if you are not familiar with his style or with the Greek classics in general.I remember sitting with it in front of me, trying for about 45 minutes to get past the first page.But please, don't be scared!Once you get past the initial difficulty and really start to immerse yourself into Lattimore's style, this is probably the most rewarding and interesting translations available.It keeps the Greek alive, displaying beautifully the particulars of the original text.An excellent and literal translation.

Tragedies
This book contains all seven of Aeschylus' remaining plays. "Agamemnon," "The Libation Bearers," and "The Eumenides," (altogether, the Oresteia) are the most well-known, and, along with "Prometheus Bound," they are the best plays in this collection. The other three, in comparison, are frankly boring, so it might be worth your money to buy the Oresteia separately. But if you are curious about Aeschylus, or interested in Greek tragedy, then this book gives you all seven plays, and has introductions to each which explain the historical context and the content. Read your Homer too.

LAttimores Masterpiece of translation of Aeschlyus
This edition is the materworks of two great men Aeschylus and Richmond Lattimore.I have read a dozen of translations of Aeschylus and this has no rival.As well the whole series edited by Green and Lattimore are thebest compelation of all the Greek tragedy to date.Lattimore understandthe darkness and the fatilism of greek tragedy.The verse translation isflowing and rythmic as the greek is.The translation is loose and notexacting like Lattimores Illiad but he captures the theme better than a tooliteral translation would allow. ... Read more

Product Description
This new edition ofChoephori takes into account the abundance of recent scholarship on Aeschylus' work.A. F. Garvie's introduction discusses the pre-Aeschylean Orestes tradition in literature and art, the character of the play itself--its ideas, imagery, structure, and staging--and the state of the transmitted text.This edition reprints the Greek text andcritical apparatus from the well-received Oxford Classical Text, edited by D. L. Page, and includes 350 pages of commentary devoted to problems of interpretation, style and dramatic technique. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Impressive.
(Note: for those who do not know: this edition is in ANCIENT GREEK and if you do not know that language, you may wish to buy a translation instead, such as Lattimore or Lloyd-Jones or Loeb Library's Smyth. This is not a translation but an edition of the text with a long and detailied commentary on said text.)
This semester we read selected long passages from the entire "Oresteia" in Greek. We read a lot more than half of the entire trilogy, and for me, a second-year Greek student, the experience was very intense and pleasantly challenging. My head is still ringing from choruses that never leave roofs, making a song that is not good and with Pylades urging Orestes to make his horrible choice.
I liked Garvie's "Choeporoi" much better than Denniston and Page's edition of the "Agamemnon" because Garvie's commentary is longer and more detailed (it is 8 times the length of the actual text, in smallish print) and Garvie has a more current poetic sensibility which does not dictate ONE POSSIBLE READING AND ONE ALONE for each line of poetry, unlike the older school.
There is also an really fine section in the Introduction on pre-Aeschylean versions of the story of Orestes, including that of Stesichoros, and a section onstaging, as well as complete metrical notes.
Throughout the commentary are extensive and formidably learned references to other Greek literature for comparison and to a good array of secondary articles and commentaries. The bibliography is large.
Overall the book is a very fine achievement and deserves great respect and broad usage. ... Read more

Product Description
This file includes: AGAMEMNON, THE LIBATION-BEARERS, THE FURIES, THE SUPPLIANT MAIDENS, THE PERSIANS, THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES, and THE PROMETHEUS BOUND; all translated by E.D.A. MORSHEAD.According to Wikipedia: "Aeschylus ( c. 525 BC/524 BC – c. 456 BC/455 BC) was an ancient Greek playwright. He is often recognized as the father of tragedy, and is the earliest of the three Greek tragedians whose plays survive, the others being Sophocles and Euripides. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in plays to allow for conflict among them; previously, characters interacted only with the chorus. Only seven of an estimated seventy to ninety plays by Aeschylus have survived into modern times; one of these plays, Prometheus Bound, is widely thought to be the work of a later author. At least one of Aeschylus' works was influenced by the Persian invasion of Greece, which took place during his lifetime. His play The Persians remains a good primary source of information about this period in Greek history. The war was so important to the Greeks and to Aeschylus himself that, upon his death around 456 BC, his epitaph commemorated his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon rather than to his success as a playwright."
... Read more

Product Description
'Today good reading and effective performance of ancient drama require a constellation of talents to succeed, and in the four brought together for "The Electra Plays" we are getting some of the best. Justina Gregory provides a fine critical Introduction to the whole project, and the performance-tested translations of Peter Meineck, Cecelia Eaton Luschnig, and Paul Woodruff are wonderfully readable and speakable - even when the events to be spoken of are not. This is not the usual random gathering of plays, but a volume with a concentrated focus on the three playwrights' treatment of the same events in the House of Atreus. There are parallels and profound differences, all of them endlessly discussable. This ensemble of plays and the team that made it should appeal to anyone interested in Greek literature, theater history, or mythology' - James Tatum, Aaron Lawrence Professor of Classics, Dartmouth College (Johns Hopkins University Press). ... Read more

Product Description
Aeschylus (525-c.456 bc) set his great trilogy in the immediate aftermath of the Fall of Troy, when King Agamemnon returns to Argos, a victor in war. Agamemnon depicts the hero's discovery that his family has been destroyed by his wife's infidelity and ends with his death at her callous hand. Clytemnestra's crime is repaid in The Choephori when her outraged son Orestes kills both her and her lover. The Eumenides then follows Orestes as he is hounded to Athens by the Furies' law of vengeance and depicts Athene replacing the bloody cycle of revenge with a system of civil justice. Written in the years after the Battle of Marathon, "The Oresteian Trilogy" affirmed the deliverance of democratic Athens not only from Persian conquest, but also from its own barbaric past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Best Translation?
Four stars is because of the translation. While Vellacott, whose translations of Euripides I love, captures the mood, his rhythmical verse somehow obscures the meaning, at least in the less didactic passages.

Having said that what comes across is a story whose drama to me can only be rivalled by the great stories of the Old Testament, or by Hamlet, whose dilemma is in some ways a mirror of that of Orestes.

Orestes' father Agamemnon has been murdered on his return from victory in the Trojan war by Orestes' mother Clytemnestra, who has shacked up with Aegisthus and who grieves the sacrifice of her daughter Iphigenia made by Agamemnon to ensure a wind for his fleet on its way to Troy.

This family, the house of Atreus, was under a curse anyway, following the cruel murder by Agamemnon's father of his brother's children.

Orestes murders Clytemnestra and Aegisthus and is then pursued by the Furies. The whole drama of the plays is about his decision to do this and the agonies he is likely to incur whether he does it or not.

Excellent, with minor reservations
It's easy to see why Aeschylus is still revered as one of the great dramatists of the ages. 2500 years later The Oresteia still presents poetical problems of great urgency, probing the darkest depths of the human psyche. While Agamemnon, the first work in this trilogy, is the most lauded, all three are of nearly equal value.

I'm of two minds regarding Vellacott's translation. For the most part the language is vivid and the verse is spacious and eloquent, though his fixed rhyme (which has no analog in the original Greek) is sometimes distracting -- particularly as he is in the all-too-frequent habit of forcing rhyme with ostentatious enjambment. That really breaks the flow.

With a verse translation this admittedly free in its rendering, I'm always left with the nagging question of which images belong to the author and which to the translator. When I want to experience a great work of the canon that can be a bit troubling.

These quibbles aside, Vellacott's translation does an outstanding job of framing the vital images of Aeschylus' trilogy with vigor, and overall my reading experience was first rate.

An excellent trilogy
Aeschylus (525-456 BC) is the father of Greek tragedies (one legend reports that Dionysus himself commanded Aeschylus to write them). Of the seventy tragedies that he wrote, only seven have survived to the present day. These three plays form the most complete tetralogy that we have (a tetralogy contained three tragedies and one satyr play - a semi-religious, semi-mocking performance that acted as a postlude to the tragic trilogy) - only the satyr play is missing.

In Agamemnon, the Greek king returns from the Trojan War, with his prize of the Trojan prophetess Cassandra. Cassandra knows that Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, will kill them, but she is fated to be not be believed. And so, the deed is done.

In The Libation Bearers, Clytemnestra has a nightmare that she gave birth to a snake, and so she sends her daughter Electra to Agamemnon's grave to pour out a libation. However, Electra meets her brother, Orestes, and the two plot revenge upon their mother, and her loved. And so, murder begets murder.

In The Eumenides, Orestes is fleeing the Furies, who are pursuing him for murdering his mother. Orestes flees to Apollo, who sends him on to Athens, to be judged by Athena herself.

This is an excellent trilogy. Even though it is over 2,000 years old, it still makes an interesting read. In particular, I enjoyed The Eumenides, with its battle of supernatural beings, and its showcasing of the development of Western jurisprudence. Overall, I found this to be an interesting and informative book, one that I do not hesitate to recommend to everyone.

awesome
This is the quintessential tale of ritual sacrifice (homicide), blood debt, self-conflicted justice, patricide, guilt, and (ultimately) the divinely bestowed rule of law (reason). Written 2500 years ago, perhaps it's where respect for law originated. If before clan/society/religion (honor) demanded unthinking sacrifice and revenge, Aeschylus advocates divinely endorsed law as a mediator of the irrational (and emotional): reason alone can tame the madness.

Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Electra, Orestes, and Aegisthus have since appeared in millions of derivative venues as dramatic models under different names. None approach the power of this work. I read this translation 30 years ago: it remains vivid and memorable.

Orestes fails to rouse the Furies
The Oresteian Trilogy is a classic set of tragedies, centring around the royal family of Argos, and sparked off by the infamous back-stabbing wife of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra. The translation reads well, but theover-extended dialogue may become tedious for readers who prefer somethingpunchier.Aeschylus does not achieve great 'closure', especially withOrestes himself, a hero who fades from view at the end, overshadowed by thedeal being struck by the immortal Athene and the Furies.

Similarly,certain plot lines lack sophistication, whereby characters drop out of thestory, or events are telegraphed well before occurring, and then occurentirely as expected. However, there are a couple of genuinely grippingpassages buried between the acres of soul-searching.In a less secular ageimmortal intervention might be seen as a natural plot device, but here ittakes the fate of Orestes out of his own hands, when we might prefer to seehow he deals with his deeds himself.Then again, maybe that's the point. ... Read more

Product Description
The most famous series of ancient Greek plays, and the only surviving trilogy, is the Oresteiaof Aeschylus, consisting of Agamemnon, Choephoroe, and Eumenides. These three plays recount the murder of Agamemnon by his queen Clytemnestra on his return from Troy with the captive Trojan princess Cassandra; the murder in turn of Clytemnestra by their son Orestes; and Orestes' subsequent pursuit by the Avenging Furies (Eumenides) and eventual absolution.Hugh Lloyd-Jones's informative notes elucidate the text, and introductions to each play set the trilogy against the background of Greek religion as a whole and Greek tragedy in particular, providing a balanced assessment of Aeschylus's dramatic art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Buy
Everything was great besides that there were some black markings on the side of the book.

Fast delivery

Great Translation
The Oresteia is of course one of the most wondrous texts of Ancient Greek civilization; however, I will discuss the translation of the text instead of the story context here. I had first purchased the Robert Fagles translation published by Penguin at the local bookstore; however, as I read the Fagles text I became more and more confused. The language Fagles uses, although beautifully written, does not closely follow the text and is hard to understand, and sometimes I would find myself rereading the same sentence over and over to try to guess the meaning. When I finally got the Lloyd-Jones translation, however, the text became much clearer, as Lloyd-Jones follows the Greek closely; although the Oresteia is by no means an easy read, I found that I could finally grasp what Aeschylus was saying. Also, Lloyd-Jones has written footnotes directly under the text, and these footnotes are very helpful. The plays in the Oresteia, especially Agamemnon, is riddled with many mythological metaphors and cultural aspects of Greek life, and the footnotes address these particular points. Hugh Lloyd-Jones really does a fantastic job at translating Aeschylus, and I highly recommend this particular edition for a great read of Greek Tragedy.

A superb presentation of the three plays of Aeschylus.
An excellent presentation of the trilogy. Way back in 1970, Sir Lloyd-Jones had come out with the three plays in individual format and filled with annotations. Now, all three plays are together. And all threeplays should be required reading for new students at a university. Thefirst play in the Oresteia trilogy (the only extant Greek trilogy) is"Agamemnon." The trilogy won First Prize at the Greater Dionesiain 458 B. C. Agamemnon returns to Argos from the Trojan War. He is killedby his wife Clytemnestra and his first cousin Aegisthus. Clytemnestra'sreasons for the murder of both Agamemnon and Cassandra were questioned evenin ancient Greece: was it for revenge for the death of her daughterIphigenia or was it for her adultery with Aegisthus? In one of Pindar'sodes (c. 474 B. C.), "Pythia 11", Pindar asks: "Was itIphigeneia, who at the Euripos crossing was slaughtered far from home, thatvexed her to drive in anger the hand of violence? Or was it couching in awrong bed by night that broke her will and set her awry?" The Oresteiatrilogy is a study in justice. Agamemnon's death must be avenged; but, thismeans matricide. Orestes, in the next play, should not have been the handof vengence. The second play is "The Libation Bearers." It is theearliest known play containing an intrigue as the main plot. Electra,sister of Orestes, has been sent to the grave of Agamemnon to offer alibation. Clytemnestra is attempting to placate the spirit of her deadhusband. When she and Aegisthus are killed by Orestes, Orestes finds thatnow the Furies will pursue him rather than his mother. The final play is"The Eumenides." The Eumenides are daughters of Night who avengecrimes committed by offspring against parents and who punished people whofail to keep their oaths. In this last play, Apollo purifies Orestes bywashing him in pigs' blood. But the Erinyes reject Apollo's order to leaveOrestes alone. The conflict is resolved via a trial overseen by Athena.This play is the earliest known drama containing a complete change ofscene. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The first play in the Orestia Trilogy of Aeschylus
There is a particular scene in "Agamemnon" that I always want to point to in order to show students the genius of Aeschylus as a tragic playwright. To really appreciate any of these ancient plays you really have to have an understanding the peculiar structure of the classic Greek drama. The better understanding you have of this structure, as well as the key elements of tragedy as delineated by Aristotle in his "Poetica," the more you can appreciate any of these plays, but "Agamemnon" in particular.

The play is the first drama of the Orestia trilogy, the only extant trilogy to survive from that period; of course, since Aeschylus was the only one of the three great tragic poets whose trilogies told basically a story in three-parts. Sophocles and Euripides would tell three different but thematically related stories in their own trilogies (the Theban trilogy of Sophocles is an artificial construct). In "Agamemnon" it has been ten years since he sailed away to Troy, having sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to get fair winds (the tale is best told by Euripides in "Iphigenia at Aulis"). For ten years Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra, the half-sister of Helen, has been waiting for his return so she can kill him. In the interim she has taken Agamemnon's cousin Aegithus as a lover.

This brings into play the curse on the house of Atreus, which actually goes back to the horrid crime of Tantalus and the sins of Niobe as well. Atreus was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, who a generation earlier had contended with his own brother Thyestes for the throne of Argos. Thyestes seduced his brother's wife and was driven out of Argos by Atreus, who then became king. Thyestes eventually returned to ask forgiveness, but Atreus, recalling the crime of Tantalus, got his revenge by killing the two sons of Thyestes and feeding them to their father at a banquet. That was when Thyestes cursed Atreus and all of his descendants and fled Argos with his remaining son, the infant Aegithus.

This becomes important because Aeschylus has two people in the palace at Argos, each of whom has a legitimate reason to take the life of Agamemnon. But in this version Aeschylus lays the crime at Clytemnestra's feet. When Agamemnon returns with his concubine Cassandra, daughter of Troy's King Priam, the insane prophetess symbolizes all sorts of reasons for Cassandra to renew her desire for vengeance. However, it is also important that Agamemnon reaffirm his guilt, and this he does by his act of hubris, walking on the scarlet carpet.

Now, one of the key conventions of Greek tragedy was that acts of violence happened off stage, in the skene, which in "Agamemnon" serves as the place at Argos. Consequently, the Athenian audience not only knows that Agamemnon is going to be murdered, they know that once he goes into the "palace" he is not coming out alive and at some point a tableau of his murder will be wheeled out of the skene. However, despite this absolute knowledge Aeschylus manages to surprise his audience with the murder. This is because of the formal structure of a Greek tragedy.

Basically the tragedy alternates between dramatic episodes, in which actors (up to two for Aeschylus, three for Sophocles and Euripides) interact with each other and/or the chorus, and choral odes called stasimons. These odes are divided into match pairs of strophes and antistrophes, reflecting the audience moving across the stage right to left and left to right respectively.

After Agamemnon goes into the palace and the chorus does an ode, the next episode has Clytemnestra coaxing the doomed Cassandra into the palace as well. With both of the intended victims inside, the chorus begins the next ode. Once the first strophe is finished the corresponding antistrophe is required, but it is at that point, while the audience is anticipating the formal completion of the first pair, that Agamemnon's cry is heard from within the palace. The antistrophe is the disjointed cries of the individual members of the chorus, in contrast to the choral unity of the strophe.

This is how Aeschylus surprises his audience with the murder of Agamemnon, but using the psychology of the play's structure to his advantage. Because we do not have any examples of tragedy that predate Aeschylus, it may well be more difficult to really appreciate his innovation as a playwright. But while the Orestia as a whole is clearly his greatest accomplishment, it is perhaps this one scene that best illustrates his genius. While the fatal confrontation between Clytemnestra and Orestes in "Choeophori" has the most pathos of any of his scenes, there is nothing in either it or "Eumenides" that is as brilliantly conceived and executed as the murder of Agamemnon.

The genius of Aeschylus as dramatist in "Agamemnon"
There is a particular scene in "Agamemnon" that I always want to point to in order to show students the genius of Aeschylus as a tragic playwright.To really appreciate any of these ancient plays you really have to have an understanding the peculiar structure of the classic Greek drama.The better understanding you have of this structure, as well as the key elements of tragedy as delineated by Aristotle in his "Poetica," the more you can appreciate any of these plays, but "Agamemnon" in particular.

The play is the first drama of the Orestia trilogy, the only extant trilogy to survive from that period; of course, since Aeschylus was the only one of the three great tragic poets whose trilogies told basically a story in three-parts.Sophocles and Euripides would tell three different but thematically related stories in their own trilogies (the Theban trilogy of Sophocles is an artificial construct).In "Agamemnon" it has been ten years since he sailed away to Troy, having sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to get fair winds (the tale is best told by Euripides in "Iphigenia at Aulis").For ten years Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra, the half-sister of Helen, has been waiting for his return so she can kill him.In the interim she has taken Agamemnon's cousin Aegithus as a lover.

This brings into play the curse on the house of Atreus, which actually goes back to the horrid crime of Tantalus and the sins of Niobe as well.Atreus was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, who a generation earlier had contended with his own brother Thyestes for the throne of Argos.Thyestes seduced his brother's wife and was driven out of Argos by Atreus, who then became king.Thyestes eventually returned to ask forgiveness, but Atreus, recalling the crime of Tantalus, got his revenge by killing the two sons of Thyestes and feeding them to their father at a banquet.That was when Thyestes cursed Atreus and all of his descendants and fled Argos with his remaining son, the infant Aegithus.

This becomes important because Aeschylus has two people in the palace at Argos, each of whom has a legitimate reason to take the life of Agamemnon.But in this version Aeschylus lays the crime at Clytemnestra's feet.When Agamemnon returns with his concubine Cassandra, daughter of Troy's King Priam, the insane prophetess symbolizes all sorts of reasons for Cassandra to renew her desire for vengeance.However, it is also important that Agamemnon reaffirm his guilt, and this he does by his act of hubris, walking on the scarlet carpet.

Now, one of the key conventions of Greek tragedy was that acts of violence happened off stage, in the skene, which in "Agamemnon" serves as the place at Argos.Consequently, the Athenian audience not only knows that Agamemnon is going to be murdered, they know that once he goes into the "palace" he is not coming out alive and at some point a tableau of his murder will be wheeled out of the skene.However, despite this absolute knowledge Aeschylus manages to surprise his audience with the murder.This is because of the formal structure of a Greek tragedy.

Basically the tragedy alternates between dramatic episodes, in which actors (up to two for Aeschylus, three for Sophocles and Euripides) interact with each other and/or the chorus, and choral odes called stasimons.These odes are divided into match pairs of strophes and antistrophes, reflecting the audience moving across the stage right to left and left to right respectively.

After Agamemnon goes into the palace and the chorus does an ode, the next episode has Clytemnestra coaxing the doomed Cassandra into the palace as well.With both of the intended victims inside, the chorus begins the next ode.Once the first strophe is finished the corresponding antistrophe is required, but it is at that point, while the audience is anticipating the formal completion of the first pair, that Agamemnon's cry is heard from within the palace.The antistrophe is the disjointed cries of the individual members of the chorus, in contrast to the choral unity of the strophe.

This is how Aeschylus surprises his audience with the murder of Agamemnon, but using the psychology of the play's structure to his advantage.Because we do not have any examples of tragedy that predate Aeschylus, it may well be more difficult to really appreciate his innovation as a playwright.But while the Orestia as a whole is clearly his greatest accomplishment, it is perhaps this one scene that best illustrates his genius.While the fatal confrontation between Clytemnestra and Orestes in "Choeophori" has the most pathos of any of his scenes, there is nothing in either it or "Eumenides" that is as brilliantly conceived and executed as the murder of Agamemnon.

An excellent translation with annotations.
This is an excellent translation of the first play of the Oresteia trilogy (the only extant Greek trilogy). I particularly enjoyed it because of the ongoing commentary and annotations. This trilogy should be required readingof any college student and it should occur early in their college life. The trilogy won First Prize at the Greater Dionesia in 458 B. C. Agamemnonreturns to Argos from the Trojan War. He is killed by his wife Clytemnestraand his first cousin Aegisthus. Clytemnestra's reasons for the murder ofboth Agamemnon and Cassandra were questioned even in ancient Greece: was itfor revenge for the death of her daughter Iphigenia or was it for heradultery with Aegisthus? In one of Pindar's odes (c. 474 B. C.),"Pythia 11", Pindar asks: "Was it Iphigeneia, who at theEuripos crossing was slaughtered far from home, that vexed her to drive inanger the hand of violence? Or was it couching in a wrong bed by night thatbroke her will and set her awry?" The Oresteia trilogy is a study injustice. Agamemnon's death must be avenged; but, this means matricide.Orestes, in the next play, should not have been the hand of vengence. ... Read more

Product Description
"Streamlined in its storytelling and voluptuous in its use of language."--Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times [from a review of the Court Theater production] ... Read more

Product Description

This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features the table of contents linked to every play. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the Kindle, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display.

******************

Translated by E. D. A. Morshead

The Oresteia (458 BC):
Agamemnon Translated by E. D. A. Morshead
The Libation Bearers (also known as Choephoroi) Translated by E. D. A. Morshead
The Eumenides (also known as The Furies) Translated by E. D. A. Morshead

The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which concerns the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. Though originally written as tetralogy, it is the only surviving example of a trilogy of ancient Greek plays; the fourth play, Proteus, a satyr play that would have been performed as finale, has not survived. The Oresteia was originally performed at the Dionysia festival in Athens in 458 BC, where it won first prize. Overall, this trilogy emblemizes the shift from a monarchal system of vendetta in Argos to a democratic system of litigation in Athens.

- Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer Reviews (1)

Aeschylus
The Oresteia by Aeschylus, Trilogy includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides.

The Oresteia is the only Greek trilogy that survived. Each of these plays is a classical tragedy, and each is wonderful in its own right. Aeschylus is one of the greatest poets in history! ... Read more