Product Description

The 'Eumenides', the concluding drama in Aeschylus' sole surviving trilogy, the 'Oresteia', is not only one of the most admired Greek tragedies, but also one of the most controversial. It stands at the crux of the controversies over the relationship between the fledgling democracy of Athens and the dramas it produced, and over the representation of women in the theatre and their implied status in Athenian society. The play enacts the trial of Agamemnon's son Orestes, who had been ordered under threat of punishment by the god Apollo to murder his mother Clytemnestra, who herself had earlier killed Agamemnon. Orestes, hounded by the Eumenides, travels first to Delphi to obtain ritual purgation of his mother's blood, and then, at Apollo's urging, to Athens to seek the help of Athena, who decides that an impartial jury of Athenians should decide the matter. Aeschylus thus presents a drama that shows a growing awareness of the importance of free will in Athenian thought through the mythologized institution of the first jury trial.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #443947 in Books
• Published on: 2009-12-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Review
Robin Mitchell-Boyask is Professor of Classics, Temple University. He has published widely on Greek tragedy.

About the Author
Robin Mitchell-Boyask is Associate Professor of Classics, Temple University. He has published widely on Greek tragedy.