Oresteia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oresteia
SNG Drama Ljubljana performs an adaptation of The Oresteia, in 1968
Written by	Aeschylus
Original language	Greek
Genre	Tragedy

The Oresteia (Ancient Greek: Ὀρέστεια) is a set of three Greek plays. They were written by Aeschylus in ancient Greece, around 458 BCE. These plays tell a dramatic story about a family curse.

The story follows the murder of King Agamemnon by his wife, Clytemnestra. Then, their son Orestes kills Clytemnestra to get revenge. The plays also show Orestes' trial and how the curse on his family, the House of Atreus, finally ends. They also explain how the Furies, who are goddesses of revenge, become peaceful.

The Oresteia includes three plays: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides. It's the only full set of ancient Greek plays that we still have today. The Oresteia won first prize at a big festival called the Dionysia in 458 BCE. A main idea in the plays is the difference between getting revenge and finding true justice. It also shows how society moved from personal fights to organized court trials. The Oresteia originally had a fourth play, a funny one called Proteus, but almost all of it is now lost.

Agamemnon: A King's Return

Agamemnon (Ἀγαμέμνων) is the first play in the Oresteia series. It tells about King Agamemnon of Mycenae coming home from the Trojan War. Troy had fallen after ten years of fighting. All of Greece was celebrating their victory.

At home, Agamemnon's wife, Queen Clytemnestra, has been planning to kill him. She wants revenge because Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia. She also wants to rule the kingdom with her lover, Aegisthus.

The play starts with a watchman on the palace roof. He has been waiting for a signal that Troy has fallen. He sees a bonfire in the distance, meaning the Greeks won! He is happy but also worried about the royal family. Queen Clytemnestra then announces celebrations for the army's return.

When Agamemnon arrives, Clytemnestra acts very happy to see him. She asks him to walk on special purple robes. This is a strange request, and it makes people wonder about her true feelings. Agamemnon also brings a new captive, Cassandra, a princess from Troy. Clytemnestra immediately dislikes Cassandra.

Inside the palace, a cry is heard. Agamemnon has been killed. When the doors open, Clytemnestra stands over the bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra. She tells the chorus how she killed them, showing no sadness. Her lover, Aegisthus, then arrives. He proudly says he helped plan the murder. He wanted revenge for his own father, who was tricked by Agamemnon's father. Clytemnestra and Aegisthus then go back into the palace.

Agamemnon is a play with many difficult choices. Agamemnon was a war hero, but he sacrificed his daughter. Many citizens also lost family in the war he started. Clytemnestra killed her husband, but she also got revenge for her daughter. The play makes you think about whether revenge can ever be right.

The Libation Bearers: Orestes' Revenge

The Libation Bearers (Χοηφόροι) is the second play in the Oresteia. Many years after Agamemnon's murder, his son Orestes returns to Argos. He is with his cousin Pylades. Orestes has been ordered by the god Apollo to get revenge on Clytemnestra for killing his father.

Orestes meets his sister Electra at their father's grave. Electra is there to pour libations (offerings) to Agamemnon. She hopes to stop Clytemnestra's bad dreams. After they reunite, Orestes and Electra, with help from the Chorus, plan to kill both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Orestes goes to the palace door, pretending to be a stranger. He tells Clytemnestra that Orestes (himself) is dead. Clytemnestra sends for Aegisthus. Orestes enters the palace and kills Aegisthus. When Clytemnestra comes in, Orestes hesitates. But Pylades reminds him of Apollo's command. Orestes then kills his mother.

After killing his mother, Orestes is chased by the Furies. These are angry goddesses who punish those who spill family blood. Orestes has to run away from the palace.

The Chorus in The Libation Bearers

The Chorus in The Libation Bearers is different from the one in Agamemnon. In Agamemnon, the Chorus was made up of old men. They were fearful and commented on the events but didn't change the story.

In The Libation Bearers, the Chorus is a group of foreign slave women. They want revenge for Agamemnon. They actively encourage Electra and Orestes to take revenge. They help Orestes carry out his plan.

The Eumenides: Justice and Law

The final play of the Oresteia is called The Eumenides (Εὐμενίδες). It shows how the story leads to the creation of a fair legal system in Athens. In this play, Orestes is still hunted by the Furies. They are goddesses of justice who punish those who kill their family. They are also known as the "Gracious Ones." They chase Orestes relentlessly for killing his mother.

The god Apollo helps Orestes escape the Furies for a short time. Orestes flees to Athens under the protection of Hermes. Meanwhile, the ghost of Clytemnestra wakes the Furies. She wants them to get justice for her death.

The Furies find Orestes again. Orestes asks the goddess Athena for help. Athena decides to set up a trial for him in Athens. This trial takes place on a hill called the Areopagus. A group of twelve Athenian citizens acts as the jury, and Athena supervises. This is shown as the very first courtroom trial.

After the trial, the votes are tied. Athena casts the deciding vote. She rules that Orestes will not be killed. The Furies are very angry about this. But Athena persuades them to accept the decision. She tells them to become a force for good in Athens, protecting the city instead of just punishing wrongdoers. She changes their name from the Furies to "the Eumenides," which means "the Gracious Ones." Athena then declares that from now on, all such disputes must be settled in a court of law, not through personal revenge.

Proteus: The Lost Play

Proteus (Πρωτεύς) was a funny play called a satyr play. It was meant to be performed after the three serious plays of The Oresteia. However, almost all of Proteus is lost. Only a few lines remain.

People believe it was based on a story from Homer's Odyssey. In that story, Menelaus, Agamemnon's brother, is trying to get home from Troy. He ends up on an island off Egypt. There, he meets a sea god named Proteus. Proteus tells Menelaus about Agamemnon's death and how other heroes like Odysseus are doing. Proteus also tells Menelaus how to get home.

In 2002, a theater group called Theatre Kingston created a new version of Proteus. They based it on the story from the Odyssey.

Modern Adaptations of Oresteia

The Oresteia has been adapted many times for the stage and other art forms. Here are a few examples:

• In 1895, composer Sergei Taneyev turned the trilogy into an opera.
• In 1969, a Western movie called The Forgotten Pistolero was based on the Oresteia story.
• In 2007, MoLoRa was a South African version of the Oresteia. It was set during the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.
• In 2015, Robert Icke's modern adaptation of the play was very popular in London.
• In 2016, playwright Zinnie Harris created This Restless House. This trilogy retells the Oresteia story, focusing more on the women characters.

Images for kids

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  Genealogy of Orestes