Agamemnon

Oresteia #1

by Aeschylus, Philip de May, P.E. Easterling (Introduction)

Treating ancient plays as living drama. Classical Greek drama is brought vividly to life in this series of new translations. Students are encouraged to engage with the text through detailed commentaries, including0 suggestions for discussion and analysis. In addition, numerous practical questions stimulate ideas on staging and encourage students to explore the play's dramatic qualities. Agamemnon is suitable for students of both Classical Civilisation and Drama. Useful features include full synopsis of the play, commentary alongside translation for easy reference and a comprehensive introduction to the Greek Theatre. Agamemnon is aimed primarily at A-level and undergraduate students in the UK, and college students in North America.

Genres: Classics, Plays, Drama, Mythology, Fiction, Theatre, Literature

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 473

About the author

Greek Αισχύλος , Esquilo in Spanish, Eschyle in French, Èsquil in Catalan, Eschilo in Italian, Эсхил in Russian.

Aeschylus (c. 525/524 BC – c. 456 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is largely based on inferences made from reading his surviving plays. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in the theatre and allowed conflict among them. Formerly, characters interacted only with the chorus.
Only seven of Aeschylus's estimated 70 to 90 plays have survived. There is a long-standing debate regarding the authorship of one of them, Prometheus Bound, with some scholars arguing that it may be the work of his son Euphorion. Fragments from other plays have survived in quotations, and more continue to be discovered on Egyptian papyri. These fragments often give further insights into Aeschylus' work. He was likely the first dramatist to present plays as a trilogy. His Oresteia is the only extant ancient example. At least one of his plays was influenced by the Persians' second invasion of Greece (480–479 BC). This work, The Persians, is one of very few classical Greek tragedies concerned with contemporary events, and the only one extant. The significance of the war with Persia was so great to Aeschylus and the Greeks that his epitaph commemorates his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon while making no mention of his success as a playwright.

Reviews

[Sean Barrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Ancient Greeks never learn do they?

What do you honestly think would happen if you sacrificed your own daughter to the Gods? Yes you may appease their wrath for the war crimes you committed in Troy; yes, you may insure a safe return across the sea for your men; yes, you may have bought yourself some temporary time. But at what cost?

The Gods are abated but you’ve unleashed anger just as frightening, that of your wife. You just can’t go round killing your family and expect to get away with it. Silly, silly, Agamemnon. You were in an impossible situation and you made the impossible choice, and it’s your doom: “And once he slipped his neck in the strap of fate” it was all over. You signed your own execution order. You could expect no different.

It’s a great tragedy though.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review
3 out of 5 stars to Agamemnon, the first of the Orestia plays written in 458 BC by Aeschylus. Peter Arnott, a noted scholar and critic, has stated that, “The Agamemnon is a bitter indictment of war, of the folly of bloodshed, of the hardships of fighting, of the misery at home.” I couldn't agree more...

The Trojan War began when Paris and the married Helen ran back to Troy because Helen belonged to Menelaus. For over ten years Menelaus, Agamemnon, and their troops fought the Trojans to recapture Helen and punish her. However, when the war ended and Menelaus captured Helen, he looked at her and forgave her for the adultery. The whole Trojan War, caused by the adulterous Helen, only contributed to ten years of senseless murders, foolish bloodshed, and built up anger. As a result, Agamemnon gave up ten years of his life to help his brother. Upon his return to Argos, Agamemnon’s wife killed him for sacrificing Iphigenia, which he only did to leave for Troy. Thousands of men and woman suffered and lost their lives just so Menelaus could have his wife back. There must have been some kind of misery at home to make her need more love, lust and passion. If there wasn’t, she would not have run off with the handsome prince Paris. However, Helen did help make The Agamemnon a folly of bloodshed among innocent citizens. Adulterous Helen was a major element that also supports Arnott’s beliefs that The Agamemnon was an act of misery at home.

Although Helen was the primary cause of the Trojan War, the curse on the house of Atreus helped make The Agamemnon a bitter indictment of war. Ever since Atreus and Thyestes battled to inherit the throne from their father the family suffered at the hands of reciprocity. It was a game of one-up-mans-ship. It began when Atreus banished Thyestes from Argos and most recently ended when Thyestes’ son Aegisthus slept with Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra. Between these events were affairs, phony banquets of reconciliation, and the consumption of human children. In The Agamemnon, when Agamemnon returns, his wife Clytemnestra brutally murders him carrying on the family curse. This misery at home is because of the curse. Each generation of the house of Atreus murders another member and is then murdered himself. This offers support to Arnott’s claim that The Agamemnon is a bitter indictment of war and the folly of bloodshed. Again, the brutal murder of Agamemnon contributes to the folly of bloodshed. If Agamemnon did not help Menelaus, he would not have gone off to fight the war and then come home to suffer at the hands of a senseless curse. This curse also protrudes from misery at home. Each family member must have been miserable enough, angry enough, and vengeful enough to kill another.

However, the most contributing factor that supports Arnott’s claim is the sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis. When all the troops met at Aulis to set sail for Troy, the winds were not in their favor. In a rush to win back Helen, Agamemnon realized that he had to sacrifice his innocent daughter Iphigenia to get favorable winds from Strymon. He was forced to make a decision between killing his daughter and losing his respect and the war. This supports Arnott’s commentary that there were many hardships of fighting the war in The Agamemnon. It also shows that the shedding of Iphigenia’s blood was a foolish act only destined to happen for the sake of winning the war.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

[Riku Sayuj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Strike

Each of the plays that make up The Oresteia tetralogy are supposed to be stand alone pieces as well as perfect complements to each other. All the themes that The Oresteia is to explore later are planted and ready for internal development at the end of Agamemnon. Aeschylus works magic with the triadic structure of the plays and of greek rituals (the fourth was probably a conventional satyr play and is lost to us) by going for a feeling of tit-for-tat of conventional revenge stories in the first two and a ‘third and final’ resolution in the third (though I feel game-theory wise a tit-for-two-tats additional play would have made for a good thought experiment!).

So in Agamemnon we are presented with the first strike -- and the tit-for-tat is ready, prophesied and waiting inevitably for the reader/viewer in the next part. It is the bleakest and most ominous ending to a play that I have witnessed because unlike a Hamlet, here there is no cosmic meaning to give us solace either. Agamemnon ends ominously and without significance-in-itself, leaving us with the feeling that the tragedy has just begun and there is a long road yet to be traversed before we can glimpse any possibility of a resolution.

A Note on the Translations

I have over the past several months read the whole play (only Agamemnon) in multiple translations. A few thoughts on each:

The Richmond Lattimore Translation: is sonorous and grand — quite impressive. You feel like you are really reading an ancient master, unlike in the Fagles version. However, it uses complex structures and hence the reading is not quite smooth. With Fagles you can just read on and on and never stop due to a complex phrasing or unclear meaning, but with lattimore you have to pause and rewind often to catch the exact drift.

The Robert Fagles Translation: is immediate and easy on the ear. It is also quite easy to grasp as the words do not form confusing structures as it does in the Lattimore translation. However I felt a certain something missing and couldn’t put my finger on it. I prefer the Lattimore version.

E.D.A Morshead Translation: Rhythmic but compromises on ease of reading to achieve the metric scheme. Could hardly grasp a thing on first reading of most verses. Has the advantage that it demarcates the Strophe, Antistrophe & Epode of each choral ode and that helps the reader visualize better. None of the other translations do this and I felt it was very useful.

The Alan Shapiro Translation: Written in beautiful blank verse, this is probably the best placed to merit first rank as a poetic work. Shapiro injects new power into the verse by his poetic take and provides a fresh perspective on almost all important scenes and imagery. But needs to be a supplementary read since it departs often from the other translations in sometimes subtle and sometimes significant ways. It tries to be an improvement on the Lattimore version but in my opinion it can at best be read as an additional indulgence by the reader already well acquainted with Lattimore.

The Headlam Translation: is bilingual and gives the Greek text on the facing page. This is useful in clarifying doubts arising from conflicting translations or interpretations. The translation itself is slightly long winded and pompous and does not strike the fine balance that Lattimore strikes between majesty and simplicity. Does provide the most elaborate stage directions and that is a plus as an aid to accurate visualization (which in my opinion can make or break your reading of almost-exotic plays).

The Denniston Commentary, the edition under which this review appears: is one which I have not read (and do not have access to) and in the interests of neutrality I have selected it — since it has no translation and is in fact the Greek text itself with english commentary, which seems to be widely accepted as some of the best scholastic commentary on the play.

I will add notes on other translations if and when I track them down.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In war, the first casualty is truth."

Aeschylus's Oresteia trilogy examines revenge, retribution, and fate in the house of Atreus. Agamemnon, the trilogy's first play, depicts the murder of the King and his trophy slave Cassandra, daughter of the King of Troy, on his return to Mycenae from the Trojan War.

Ten years earlier, before setting out for war, Agamemnon offended the goddess Artemis, and she stopped the winds, keeping his fleet of 100 ships from sailing to battle. He learned from the prophet, Calchas, that the only way to appease Artemis was to sacrifice his oldest daughter Iphigenia. He had to decide between his duties to his family or his city-state. He chose his polis and lured Iphigenia and his wife Clytemnestra by promising his daughter's marriage to Achilles. The play begins ten years later with Agamemnon's homecoming as Clytemnestra enacts her revenge with her lover Aegisthus's help.

Agamemnon is a powerful poetic play filled with fear and rage. I listened to Audible's outstanding performance, which brought it to life. I highly recommend this production to anyone interested in the classical world or theater.

[Marc Lamot]

Reading the ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus always requires a bit of grit. He stands at the beginning of classical Greek tragedy and is generally regarded as archaic, both in form and content. This translates into long, verbose, and convoluted passages in very elevated language, especially in the choral parts, which remain very prominent in his work. In terms of content, it translates into an emphasis on the omnipotence of the gods, which man must acknowledge and endure—quite unlike his younger colleagues Sophocles and Euripides, who focus much more on the struggles of individuals. Consequently, reading this tragedy, too, requires some perseverance.

Naturally, this is compensated by the fact that the story itself is one of the most famous and charged episodes in the Greek mythological universe: the return of Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief of the Greek troops, after the slaughter in Troy, and his subsequent murder by his wife Clytemnestra (with or without the help of her concubine Aegisthus). She did this horrible act because he had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia more than 10 years earlier to obtain a favorable wind from the gods for the crossing to Troy. I’m not revealing any spoilers here, as this story is very well known, and was also assumed by Aeschylus to be known to the audience coming to see his play. As a consequence, it’s more interesting to look at the dynamics between the characters and the overall context against which this drama unfolds.

What strikes me most, with my perhaps overly modern mindset, is that Agamemnon as a figure comes across very well here. Even in Homer, the figure of the Greek commander is sometimes described in very disparaging terms, whereas Aeschylus portrays him more as a victim, and someone prepared for the possible consequences of his past deeds (the sacrifice of Iphigenia and the slaughter in Troy).

The consequence of this is, of course, that Clytemnestra is depicted as a vengeful beast who deceives her husband upon his return home, lures him into a trap, and then stabs him to death herself. A certain lust for power—I refer to her closing words—is also not alien to her. The play also contains some downright misogynistic passages (about women as gossips, for example), but I do not think that Clytemnestra is being used here by Aeschyles as a symbol for the (false) woman in general. After all, in other tragedies he demonstrates a certain empathy for the female condition.

As I already indicated, the point here is rather the broader mythological-religious context: humans who are instruments of the gods, playthings in a divine order that is unfathomable and can extend across several generations. In this specific case, therefore, it is an elaboration of the curse that hung over the Royal House of the Atrides even before Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and which would continue to have dramatic repercussions after them, as is evident from Aeschylus’ sequels, *The Libations* and *The Eumenides*. It is this message that takes center stage, which is why there primarily is a great deal of telling and interpreting in all these plays (by the choir), and remarkably little action. Yet another element that contributes to a rather tedious read.

Disclaimer: I'm reading and reviewing all classic ancient Greek plays, more or less in chronological order. But I'm not giving a rating. How could I, given their age? I'll make an exception only when a play is exceptional and still strikes an emotional and/or intellectual chord.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agamemenon (450 B.C.) is the first play in a trilogy, Oresteia, by Aeschylus. Just saw a one hour condensed production of Oresteia so decided to read the trilogy. But this one might just be the best, all I’d need to get the basic point old Aeschylus makes about the futility of violent revenge for acts of violence which, as it turns out, has been a continual problem in human history, a lesson unlearned still. On the same night I also saw, performed by the same company, on the same stage, Hamlet, another revenge play, with a pretty similar plot!

“The ancient blinded vengeance and the wrong that amendeth wrong”--Chorus.

“Every wrong is justly punished; yet, as the world goes, every punishment becomes a new wrong, calling for fresh vengeance”--Chorus

In the play we meet Zeus, one who has both sinned and suffered and thereby grown wise. His gift to mankind is the ability through suffering to learn, but it seems to have been discarded by mankind like an ugly sweater.

The Greek Agamemnon is the victor of The Trojan War, but sometime in the process insults Achilles, who asks Zeus to rectify the situation by forcing Agamemnon to give up his own daughter, Iphigenîa, as a human sacrifice, which he does.

Though human sacrifices were not uncommon during these tims, the loss of her daughter not surprisingly enrages and grieves Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, so when he comes home after ten years, she plans to kill him. But not just her husband; when Agamemnon shows up he has “in tow” a “spolil of war,” former Trojan royal woman Cassandra, sister to the lovely Helen. She figured, hey, I have the axe out already, why not kill them both?

Women as “spoils of war” were also a common thing then, but Cassandra still knew this would not go down well with Clytemnestra, and she is right.

“There comes a time to a woman when fear dies”--Clytemnestra. As she also says,“the weight of years is intolerable,” and the always sexist and philandering Agamemnon has worn her down, in addition to the killing of their daughter and then the further insult of bringing home Cassandra, his new bedmate. You ask, how much can one woman take?! Kill the bastard, right?!

Cassandra, given by the gods the gift of a prophecy, knows she and Agamemnnon are going to die at the hands of Clytemnesra, but as she has also been later cursed by the gods to have no one believe her prophecises, no one believes it! The greatest and most human character of the whole play is Clytemnestra, the raging, grieving wronged woman, avenging these wrongs, and we are inclined to side with her, but Cassandra is also a terrific character here.

So, so surprise, Clytie murders the popular Greek King Agamemnon, in revenge for her daughter being murdered, and son, but the Chorus and Mourners are not happy about it. They see a cycle of violence perpetuating itself. But you decide if she did he right thing. In the production I saw, the audience for the play actually got to vote by putting slips of paper in a box and having them counted--we sided with her!

But an interesting twist happens that forces us to reconsider our defense of Clytemnestra: Aegisthus comes before Argos (the chorus, the mourners) to announce that he was responsible for the plot to kill Agamemnon, and that he is now going to marry Clytie and become King. The Chorus smells a diabolical plot, and they may have been right: while Agamemnon was gone, she took up with Aegisthus, Agamemnon’s cousin and foe (think of the killing of Claudius in Hamlet, in revenge), as her lover, so maybe she had yet another reason to kill her hubby. Clytie calls for an end to violence, but it is clear some people are not happy. (Though we do not know it from the end of this play, Aegisthus ruled for seven years before his death at the hands of Agamemnon's son Orestes. That happens in the next play of the trilogy, The Libation Bearers, but it is all really just one long endless parade of revenge in the name of justice. Ah, Hamlet, again!

This was to me a terrifically entertaining play, with some strong characters thats show up in other Greek drama. They really come alive (until, that is. . ). though the Chorus does go on a bit long at times, I thought. But I was fortunate enough last week in the same evening to see Hamlet and Oresteia, two revenge plays that raise the issue of whether it is meet and wise to commit acts of murder in response to murder.

[Imbesat · Rating 4 out of 5]

why is everyone in greek tragedies so damn expressive😭 just suffer quietly like the rest of us shhh

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m assuming no one cares about spoilers in this well-known tale, the first in the Oresteia trilogy about revenge killings.

A pre-story event sets this tale in motion. Agamemnon had the ships all ready to go to Troy for the war, but massive winds came to prevent them from sailing. Of course, these were brought on by the goddess Artemis, who was angry at Agamemnon for something, and of course, Agamemnon had to do something about it, so he sacrificed his daughter Iphigeneia. Of course!

“Her pleas, her cries of ‘father!’, and her maiden years, were set at naught by the war-loving chieftains. After a prayer, her father told his attendants to lift her right up over the altar with all their strength, like a yearling goat, face down, so that her robes fell around her …”

This didn’t sit well with her mom, Clytemnestra, who stewed over it until Agamemnon returned from the war. She took up with another man, his cousin Aegisthus. Together they plotted to kill Agamemnon, but in this telling, Clytemnestra is the villain.

“…she is--what loathsome beast’s name can I call her by, to hit the mark? An amphisbaena, or some Scylla dwelling among the rocks, the bane of sailors, a raging hellish mother, breathing out truceless war against her nearest and dearest?”

What I found most interesting was the way the Chorus stands for the trial we might have today. I suppose the gods are the judge, but the Chorus argues with the victims and the murderers, pointing out their mistakes and scolding them for their wrongs. Thinking of current trials, this made me wonder what would happen if, instead of a carefully controlled courtroom, we had a Greek chorus to reflect the thoughts of the people?

A fun read. I’ve seen the Mask of Agamemnon in the museum in Athens, and it’s a power experience. I’m giving this rating an extra star for giving me even more to think about when I look at the impression of that tragic face.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the ancient Greeks is as essential as reading Shakespeare, the Bible, and other works that are revered in our canon of great works of the Western world. Why modern readers don't appreciate this fact I ascribe to poor education. It is so obvious to me that I regret my own gaps of knowledge in the classics, but I am aghast at how too many young people in my opinion are wholly bereft of curiosity regarding the ancient playwrights, poets, philosophers, etc. from millennia past. What will they build on? I ascribe this to poor education of their educators as well.

By education I am referring to the liberal arts pooh-poohed by many in our materialistic culture. This pressure of making a buck to ensure security and prestige over depth of mind has made a generation (maybe several generations) of people in democracies unable or unwilling to elect wise leaders. Instead, we have now giggling, raunchy, vapid, spoiled autocrats who act like voracious kraken sucking up all precious things.

Begin with Homer's the Iliad and the Odyssey, then Aeschylus and the other two playwrights--Sophocles, Euripides. Or, maybe begin with the Old Testament, then the New and go to the Greeks from there.

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Homecoming of Agamemnon
02 July 2012

This is the first part of the only Greek trilogy that we have. The play is set after the Trojan War in the city of Argos, of which Agamemnon is the ruler. Agamemnon's wife learns of the defeat of the Trojans and the imminent return of her husband through the use of a series of beacons. However while she is eagerly awaiting her husband's return, it is a different scenario from Odysseus' wife Penelope, who remained faithful to her husband for the twenty years he was away. Instead, while Agamemnon was away, she took a lover, Aegisthus, and is plotting her revenge for the murder of her daughter at Aulis.

There is a lot of background to this play, but that is not uncommon for Greek drama in that they are set within a complex historical context that has a lot of past events that all tie in together and also provide the precursor to a lot of other events. This is probably why the trilogy was so popular in that it enabled the playwright to look to the events that arose within the play (and also that Greek plays tend to be quite short).

Agamemnon is a man with a lot of enemies, but then that is to be expected in relation to a man that had set himself up as overlord of Greece. However, his father had tricked Aegisthus' father, Thyestes, into eating his children, but Aegisthus managed to escape, and by allowing Clytemnestra (Agamemnon's wife) to take him as her lover puts him in the best position to extract his revenge. However, Clytemnestra did not need much encouraging to murder Agamemnon, as prior to the war, he sacrificed his daughter, Iphagenia, so that the war would be successful (actually it was so that the winds would change to enable the fleet to sail to Troy). This is going to upset most mothers, though to add insult to injury, he brought Cassandra back as his prize, so he effectively arrives in Argos to face an angry wife with a woman that he picked up to take her place when she was not around. However, it is clear that Clytemnestra's actions were not looked upon all that well. While revenge is acceptable to the Greeks, it does not seem to be the case where it is the woman seeking revenge.

As with a lot of Aeschylus' plays, it seems to be very little on the action, and a lot on the storytelling. While Clytaemnestra does appear at the beginning of the play, it is not until a quarter of the way through that she first speaks. In fact, most of the major characters only appear for a short time. The only major character that is on the stage for an extended period of time is Cassandra, and she is trying to warn the Chorus of what is to come, but due to her curse nobody believes her. It seems that a majority of the play actually revolves around Cassandra and her prophecies, and also the curse that has been placed upon her to be able to predict the future, but is never listened to. In fact, she is treated like the barbarian that she is.

Clytaemnestra and Penelope are two contrasting women in Greek mythology. Penelope is seen as the epitome of female honour however Clytaemnestra is portrayed as the complete opposite. Penelope waits patiently for her husband to return, and uses every trick that she can think of to outwit the suitors who are eating her out of house and home. Throughout all that time she rebukes the advances of all of the man that come, and also resists the social pressure that she is under to remarry. Clytaemenstra is the opposite as she is a very proud and hot headed individual who is seeking revenge against her husband. She takes a lover, and then lays a trap for her husband for when she returns.

The play concludes with the idea that Argos has now become a tyranny. This is odd because it never was anything other than a tyranny. Agamemnon is actually not a very nice guy. The best portrayal of him would have been in the movie Troy, where he is portrayed as a vicious imperialist who is looking for any excuse to expand his power. We don't see that here, but rather see a man who has returned from ten years of war to find his house not only in shambles but also turned against him. In a way, this play is another example of returning from war and the difficulties of returning to one's previous life. I suspect that there are a lot of soldiers out there that could sympathise with the plight of Agamemnon, though these days, with much better communication systems, the breakdown of the family unit due to war is evident much sooner, but happens all too often.

[Tristram Shandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Zeus who put men on wisdom’s road,
Who gave ‘Suffer and learn‘
Authority.“

This sentiment, expressed by the Chorus, has a dark and a bright side, the dark side being the conviction that suffering is the seed of wisdom, the bright one being that at the end, there is some wising up after all. In the case of the Atrides, who go back to the arrogant Tantalus, however, this saying may prove wishful thinking at the most, because the family curse incurred by Tantalus seems to blind the members of the family to all kind of better understanding and drives them to murder of their kin.

Aeschylus’s tragedy Agamemnon is named for the king of Argos, who helped his brother Menelaos wage war against Troy in retribution of Paris’s exploiting the latter’s hospitality in order to elope with his wife Helen. Now, Artemis was backing the Trojans and that is why she tried to stop the Greek fleet with a lull, which could only be ended by Agamemnon sacrificing his beloved daughter Iphigenia.

”The senior lord spoke,
‘Fate will be heavy if I do not obey, heavy as well
If I hew my child, my house’s own darling,
Polluting her father’s hands
With slaughter streaming from a maiden
At the altar: what is there without evil here? […]’”

For us moderns, the dilemma in which Agamemnon saw himself, might not seem comprehensible, and luckily so, but in Agamemnon’s eyes, there was the dictum of the seer urging him to placate the goddess, there were the men growing restive and impatient, and there was that vow of retribution to fulfil … And even for us moderns, there may be situations that make us exclaim, “What is there without evil here?” Eventually, Agamemnon takes one ghastly decision, leaving the other ghastly decision undone, estranging his wife Clytemnestra from him and setting her on a course of plotting revenge, of playing the “fawning dog” and uniting, in more ways than one, with Aegisthus to make Agamemnon get his comeuppance.

The story is well-known, but the way Aeschylus presents the basic conflict, makes use of the Chorus both as an omniscient narrator and as vox populi interacting with the characters, is simply breathtaking. Fate reigns supreme and seems to leave no alternative but to do and die, and when the Chorus interacts with Cassandra, who knowingly goes into death, there is even a moment of bitter irony which foreshadows the western genre:

“Cassandra: There is no further escape, no, none, strangers, through time.
Chorus: Yet the final part of one’s time is the most valued.
Cassandra: That day is here; I shall gain little by flight.
Chorus: Your resolution is from a brave heart, I tell you.
Cassandra: None of the truly fortunate hears that said.
Chorus: But a famous death is welcome to a mortal.“

All in all, however, Cassandra leaves little doubt that humans are never much more than the straw dogs of the gods or of Fate no matter whether they seem to succeed or to fail in their plans:

“ Oh! Mortal men and their dealings! When they succeed, a shadow may turn them round; if they fail, the wipe of a wet sponge destroys the picture. I pity the second much more than the first.“

This play is also remarkable for the character of Clytemnestra, because she holds her own against the Chorus, who thinks that as a woman her place should be one of subjection to the will and power of her husband, whereas she herself cannot forgive the sacrifice of her daughter and, maybe, thinks that it is not only ”right to honour the lady of a ruler, when the man leaves his throne empty”, as the Chorus thinks, but that such a lady should be honoured in her own right.

I read the play in the translation by Christopher Collard, which seems to me very meticulous with regard to the original text but also indebted to legibility.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't mess with the mama bear.

"Perched over his body like a hateful raven, in hoarse notes she chants her song of triumph."

Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus with their women are property attitudes have never been favs. Not sure what Aggy was thinking would happen when he got back after the whole Iphigenia incident. Of course, the whole Aegisthus sidebar is a fun twist, and I see where Shakespeare got his inspiration for Titus Andronicus.

All Hail the Hero!
Sucks to be Cassandra.
Clytaemestra gets two thumbs up!

[Sense of History]

This was the first part of a trilogy, the so-called Orestia, about the curse hanging over the Atrides dynasty, one of the most famous stories from ancient Greece. Incidentally, it is the only complete trilogy that has survived, which makes it quite unique. At the same time, it serves as the spiritual and artistic testament of Aeschyles, as it was performed in 458 BCE, quite close to his presumed date of death. I have already discussed the content and formal aspects in my general account on Goodreads (see here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). And I actually have little to add to that. From a historical standpoint (what do we learn about classical Greek society), this first part is rather meager, and much more can be deduced, especially from the third part.

[blondie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Συγκλονιστική η ευχαρίστηση που πήρε η Κλυταιμνήστρα μόλις σκότωσε τον Αγαμέμνονα!

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean, I kind of get it, but after reading this I would expect more people to name their daughter Clytemnestra.
That ending, though. Dang.

[Lies Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

herlezen voor drama and performance en vooral gelet op de weergave van vrouwen en het gebruik van textiel (voor mn bachelorproef), lowkey een vrij misogyn stuk, waarbij Cassandra niet geloofd wordt in dat een vrouw Agamemnon kon vermoorden. Ook veel te zeggen over schuld en vloeken - heeft Klytaemnestra Agamemnon vermoord of was het de vloek? Is Cassandra ook slachtoffer van een familievloek door Helena? much to think about…..

translation: Andy Hinds

—————————

oude review:
koor: 3 - Aigisthos: 0
Kassandra is zon interessant personage wss mijn favoriet in de griekse mythologie <3 ben yellowjackets aan het kijken en één van de personages is soort van haar motief, heel leuk hihi

het lectuurpakket v grieks wordt wl ng challenge maar het lezen gaat nu ook niet traag dusja, vond dit 1 van de beste tragedies die ik tot nu gelezen heb yippie stop Agamemnon en Aigistos gwn

[Alex ✴︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

God of the long road,
Apollo Apollo my destroyer-
you destroy me once, destroy me twice -

A classic Greek tragedy- haunting, beautifully written, and telling of the pitfalls of cyclical vengeance. It definitely builds up a sense of foreboding. Themes surrounding power, sacrifice, revenge and righteousness.

For their mad outrage of a queen we raped their city - we were right.

[Benzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prima tragedia della trilogia dell'”Orestea”, l'”Agamennone” narra una parte cruciale dei miti riguardanti la sanguinaria stirpe degli Atridi. Agamennone, da cui l’opera prende il nome, fu sovrano di Micene e la tragedia si apre con il suo ritorno in patria, dopo la vittoria trionfale sui Troiani. La casata degli Atridi è segnata da un passato di violenza e fratricidi, che ha condotto i suoi discendenti a peccare di hybris, la stessa colpa di cui si macchierà il re, sacrificando la figlia Ifigenia ad Artemide per ottenere venti favorevoli. Sebbene la tragedia porti il nome di un uomo, il vero protagonista della vicenda è una donna: sua moglie Clitemnestra, figura femminile radicalmente fuori dagli schemi della società greca. Quest’ultima non è affatto passiva o sottomessa al marito ma, al contrario, è astuta, determinata e pronta a tutto pur di vendicare la figlia ingiustamente sacrificata. Sangue chiama sangue: a quello innocente di Ifigenia, sparso per volontà di Agamennone, segue quello del sovrano stesso, ucciso brutalmente dalla moglie in un impeto di vendetta. La sua morte è il compimento di una giustizia privata, guidata da un inarrestabile desiderio di riparazione. Questo atto, tuttavia, condanna ulteriormente la stirpe degli Atridi, già profondamente segnata dal crimine e dalla maledizione, e inaugura per Micene un nuovo regno, che si proclama fondato sulla giustizia ma è, in realtà, forgiato col sangue del legittimo re. Fondamentale è il ruolo di Cassandra, la giovane sacerdotessa di Troia, dolce e innocente, ma condannata a prevedere il futuro, senza essere mai creduta. Sebbene il pubblico conosca la verità grazie alle sue profezie, Agamennone la ignora, condannandosi al più tragico e crudele dei finali.

[Yas · Rating 2 out of 5]

پرناله ترین نمایشنامه‌ای که خوندم😭😂همسرایان بیشترین دیالوگ‌ها رو داشتن.
۳۰درصد آخرش بهتر بود.

|تکه کتاب|

▪︎اکنون آن دشمنی که سالها در دل می‌پروردم به پایان آمده است.

▪︎او که به هوای زنی سالیان دراز در آن سوی دریا نبرد کرد
اکنون در خانه خود به دست زنی از پای درآمده است.
هلن، ای فریب خورده به نادانی
تنها یکی، یکی زن که هزاران جان در خاک تروا به تباهی افکندی
کار تو اکنون به انجام آمد.

[خنده‌ام گرفت سر این تیکه😂]

[Araz Goran · Rating 3 out of 5]

تعتبر هذه المسرحية التي كتبها أسخولوس من أوائل المسرحيات في الأدب اليوناني، مسرحية بدائية وخصبة تستدعي الهلع التراجيدي الأول عند الأدباء الأغريق، تتجسد فيها شخصية البطل والصراع من أجل الدولة وسنوات من الحرب والانتظار، مسرحية مليئة بالعنف والعاطفة الشديدة والمكر وكيف أن الحقد لا يمكن أن تمحوه السنوات ولا حتى الغياب ولا النصر، تتجلى في المسرحية أصوات الحرب والأمواج التي تحطم أعتى السفن والإنهاك الواضح للجنود والقادة، تتمتلئ جنبات هذا المسرح بالعويل والصراخ والجُمل المركبة والتشبيهات البليغة والشعارات والأساطير وآلهة اليونان القديمة ..


هذه المسرحية هي الجزء الأول من ثلاثية (أوريستيا) والتي تبدأ بعودة أجاممنون إلى أراجوس بعد حربه الطويلة في طروادة وعودته من النصر المظفر الذي حققه بعد عشر سنوات كاملة من الحرب مع الطراوديين ..


نلتمس هنا الكثير من ملحمتي هوميروس من حيث اللغة الشعرية العاطفية التي تسود جو المسرح والصخب الهائل والروح الأغريقية العريقة، للأسف كثر أستخدام الكورس في المسرحية مما أدى إلى ضعف ظهور الشخصيات بل ومحو بعضها تماماً، وكأنك أمام جمهور يتحدث بلا توقف بدل أن تتحاور الشخصيات وتعبر عن ذاتها، على كل حال، المسرحية صادمة وغريبة، قرأتها بترجمة لويس عوض وهي ترجمة فذة وتعطيك الأحساس بقوة المسرحية وقدمها ..

[Γιώργος Ζωγράφος]

Πολύ δυνατό έργο. Το διάβασα χωρίς διακοπή και πραγματικά ο λόγος του Αισχύλου είναι μεγαλειώδης και συνεπαίρνει τους θεατές και τους αναγνώστες. Ακολουθούν οι Χοηφόροι.

ΚΛΥΤΑΙΜΝΗΣΤΡΑ: Έτσι πεσμένος καταγής ξερνά την ψυχή του
και ξεφυσώντας με ορμή το αίμα απ' την πληγή
με καταβρέχει με μελανές ψιχάλες φονικής δροσιάς,
και πήρα χαρά όχι λιγότερη απ' όση δίνει στο σιτάρι
η θεόσταλτη βροχή όταν αρχίζει να δένει. [1388-1392] (μτφρ. Δημήτρης Δημητριάδης).

[Taghreed Jamal El Deen · Rating 5 out of 5]

على هذه الأرض ما يستحق الحياة .. كتابات أسخيليوس ...
شكرا محمود درويش :)
دايما كان رأيي أنو الترجمة بتشوّه الشعر ، بهاد الكتاب الترجمة كانت مذهلة لدرجة فيني اعتبرا عمل متفرّد مو مجرّد ترجمة (ترجمة لويس عوض ) ..
هي تجربتي الأولى مع التراجيديا اليونانية وصرت متحمسة كررا ♡

[Nikola Jankovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trojanski rat je završen i Agamemnon se vraća u Arg. Jeste zbog sujete u Maloj Aziji izgubio desetine hiljada života, uz to mu je na povratku potonulo 99 od 100 brodova, ali vraća se pobednik. Klitemestra, supruga mu, dočekuje ga nakon tih deset godina odsustva ("Ta koji dan bi ženi slađi svanuo no kad joj muža kući s vojske vrati bog"). To je ujedno i dan kad ga vidi prvi put otkako je bogovima žrtvovao ćerku Ifigeniju, kako bi uopšte mogao otploviti za Troju.

Agamemnon je početak jedine sačuvane antičke trilogije, a kao i brojne druge tragedije, u centar postavlja ženu. Klitemestra je ta koja iznosi glavnu temu - šta je pravda? Da li je iskustvo pravde uvek povezano sa ispravljanjem velike nepravde? Da li pravda bez nepravde postoji? Oko za oko - da li je pravda samo osveta ili još nešto drugo?

U svakoj grčkoj tragediji izgleda postoji trenutak kad nam autor slama srce. Ovde je to strašan trenutak žrtvovanja Ifigenije.

"Dok ćerka moli: 'Babo, babo!'
na devojačku mladost njenu
bes vojvoda ne osvrće se.
Kad molitvu pred žrtvu svrše,
tad na znak očev sluge počnu:
k'o jagnje dignu je nad oltar,
s ramena oklizne se veo,
pa snažno pomaknu je napred
i lepa zatisnu joj usta
da kletvu kući ne krikne."

(nastavlja se još tužnije)

Klitemestra naravno ubija Agamemnona. Poželiš da se ta pravda izvrši pred tvojim očima, nasred scene, ali možda je ovako i bolje. Znamo da ga ubija krvnički, sekirom, iza scene u kupatilu. Ipak, ne bi rekao da to donosi osećaj pravde prisutnima. Niko ne spominje Ifigeniju ili druge gadosti koje je ovaj počinio. Da li ubistvo ćerke nije nepravda, pošto je to njegovo dete? A i, na kraju krajeva, tu žrtvu su tražili bogovi?

Tekst je gust, stilski sjajan, zbog toga ponekad i nerazumljiv.

[ash:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･ · Rating 5 out of 5]

clytemnestra possibly one of my favourite characters ever

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read a lot of Greek plays so it took me awhile to understand what was happening. I should have read the introduction first, which would have made events clearer.

However, I'm also glad I didn't because it allowed me to arrive at my own conclusions.

For those of you who don't know, Agamemnon was Commander-in-Chief of the Greeks who fought at Troy. He sacrifices his daughter to appease Artemis. This play is one of vengeance and also intrigue.

Agamemnon comes home with Cassandra, his prize by lot. Cassandra is a prophetess who has been doomed by Apollo for refusing him. Therefore, she prophesies but is not believed.

In this play she prophecies her own doom and also Agamemnon's.

I won't tell more because some readers might not know the story as I didn't so found the development contained a couple of surprising twists.

But what one really enjoys in reading Greek plays is the form. I found that very interesting.

The dialogue carried on back and forth between a person speaking a monologue and the chorus. Soloist, Chorus, Soloist, Chorus.

This is very much how classical concerto form is structured. As a musician I recognized this. Look at Handel's Messiah. Every chorus is preceded by a soloist. Or a piano or violin concerto, it is the same form. The same is true for Opera.

Even in a Mozart Piano Sonata the melodic line starts with a "soloist", then a chorus.

So my greatest interest in this play was the form more so than the substance, since the storyline was quite simple and also told in the Odyssey.

If you don't already know the story there are some unexpected twists.

[Mahdi · Rating 3 out of 5]

نسبت به آثار سوفوکل و اوریپید ضعیف‌تر بود به نظرم. البته آیسخولوس اولین نفریه که ازش نمایشنامه باقی مونده و درام هنوز در حال آزمایش و خطا بوده. نقش همسرایان تو این نمایش خیلی پررنگ‌تر از شخصیت‌های اصلی بود و فقط همسرایان حرف می‌زدن و شرایط رو توصیف می‌کردند. به هر حال خوندنش خالی از لطف نبود.

[Grace, Queen of Crows and Tomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first play of this trilogy opens up with what happened to Agamemnon when he returned home from Troy. Read this to have a bloody good time 😉

[elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Screaming crying rending my garments

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oresteia by Aeschylus

He sends his daughter to death. In turn, his wife takes revenge and kills him. Then the son comes to town. What happens next? It is for you to find out, if you have the gumption



This seems to be the story of a family of serial killers.

What can you get out of so many Crimes and Misdemeanors?

Actually, a lot.

For together with the series of murders, the plot involves characters that are valiant, resilient, at times wise, and generous even if also revengeful.

From a positive psychology perspective, and in particular looking at the ten elements identified by Barbara Frederickson that contribute to positivity, they are all here:

Awe, interest, pride, joy, amusement, inspiration, serenity, gratitude, hope and love.

It all starts with Iphigenia.

She is the daughter of Agamemnon- the great Ancient Greek hero- and Clytemnestra, his wife.

Agamemnon is ordered by the gods to sacrifice his daughter, so that the ships can set sail for Troy. But this is where he is wrong, and Clytemnestra kind of justified in her future actions.

Let us assume that the issue of that religion, with its gods is not to be disputed here. It seems rather silly, if not outright stupid, to look for guidance to “creatures” that fornicate, bicker and fight with each other, cheat and lie on a daily basis.

But even if we give this attenuating circumstance, what about the other reason for such a cruel and disturbing sacrifice?

How can you kill your own daughter, in order to be allowed to set sail to Troy, to take part in a rather crazy looking conflict, to get back a woman who had run away from her husband?

I know, it is much more complicated than that, but as father to an only daughter, I feel nevertheless that the reason given for death of Iphigenia is plain wrong.

Yes, times and perspectives were different, and I was wondering while listening to Iphigenia how it will all change. In the ancient days, being sort of bisexual was the norm. Mature men had sex with young males, in a kind of initiation. Sometimes it was a more complex relationship.

For many centuries, and today in many (I guess most) countries, sodomy was not only unacceptable, but illegal and, even today in places like Saudi Arabia, enforcing a kind of Sharia law, homosexuals get killed.

This is changing in the West, where marriages are becoming more and more common. So where is this heading? I am not sure.

Clytemnestra kills her husband, blaming Agamemnon for the death of her daughter.

And for good reason she says with a broken heart:

- He needs to pay for the death of Iphigenia!

But then Orestes comes back and is furious to learn of the killing of his father.

Here I am not sure, should I mark a spoiler and carry on with what happens next?

Is there anybody really reading so far through this note?

With the intention of trying to see if Oresteia is worth reading, and not knowing about the killings and the murders?

Well, I did know about Agamemnon, his wife and Orestes. I even knew something about Iphigenia, but this piece in the big puzzle had been forgotten until I have read Oresteia and then placed all together.

So I better not say what comes next, after Orestes learns about the murder of his father, except that there are some interesting Furies involved, who seemed to my astonishment to be disputing the Gods.

How come?

I thought the Gods rule supreme, but I guess I could do with some rehearsal of Mythology.

It is a wonderful play, even if rather bloody and cruel