CAS CL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Iphigenia, Clytemnestra, Pylades
20 Mar 2015
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Document Summary
Oresteia is the collective name given to the three greek tragedies (a trilogy) by aeschylus on the story of agamemnon, clytemnestra, electra, and orestes, produced at athens in 458 bce when it won the dramatic competition. It is the only trilogy to survive complete. Libation bearers and eumenides ( kindly ones", a euphemism for the furies). The story is taken from the mythical history of the descendants of atreus in which crime led to further crime through several generations. The agamemnon opens in an atmosphere of hope mingled with foreboding, as the watchman on the roof of agamemnon"s palace in argos looks out for the signal beacon to announce the fall of troy. After the signal is seen, the news is confirmed by the arrival of a herald. Agamemnon"s wife clytemnestra appears jubilant, but the chorus of argive elders recall agamemnon"s sacrifice of his daughter iphigeneia to enable the greek fleet to set sail, and brood over the possible consequences.
