The story of the house of Atreus is a tale of incest, adultery, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and political intrigue. It is also a story in which human action is simultaneously willed and determined.".

First published in 1938, this book forms part one of a two-volume edition of the Oresteia. This first volume contains the original Greek text of the Oresteia with a facing-page English translation and notes. A detailed introduction is also provided. The second volume is largely composed of a comprehensive textual commentary. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the works of Aeschylus and classical literature.

The most famous series of ancient Greek plays, and the only surviving trilogy, is the Oresteia of 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. This superior translation should be read by every student of Greek civilization, classical literature, and drama.

The Oresteia -- Agamemnon, Choephori, and The Eumenides -- depicts the downfall of the house of Atreus: after King Agamemnon is murdered by Clytemnestra, their son, Orestes, is commanded by Apollo to avenge the crime by killing his mother, and he does so, bringing on himself the wrath of the Furies and the judgment of Athens. Together, the three plays are one of the major achievements of Greek antiquity. - Publisher.

The most famous series of ancient Greek plays, and the only surviving trilogy, is the "Oresteia " of 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.

A brilliant new verse translation of the Oresteia of Aeschylus, with illustrations by Tom Phillips. The stories are familiar: family disharmony, mourning the loss of a loved one, vengeance, national tyranny, international war, a desire for justice - all 'relatable' themes, but hardly in a consoling way: the experience Aeschylus's plays put us through, as they have earlier readers and theatre goers for centuries. This new translation by Jeffrey Bernstein, an independent scholar and novelist, preserves the artistry of the original while deploying a clear speech that directly addresses a twenty-first century temperament. The Oresteia, first performed in Greece in 458 bce, has been celebrated as an example of the highest literary art. The murder of King Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra, the bloody vengeance their son Orestes wreaks upon his mother, and the appearance of the goddess Athena to sort matters out, tells a foundation narrative of world drama. The trilogy traces a progression from personal blood feud to institutionalised justice, and in doing so celebrates, by the end, the triumph of democracy among the citizenry.

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Sleep on! awake! what skills your sleep to me-- Me, among all the dead by you dishonoured-- Me from whom never, in the world of death, Dieth this curse, "'Tis she who smote and slew", And shamed and scorned I roam? Awake, and hear My plaint of dead men's hate intolerable. Me, sternly slain by them that should have loved, Me doth no god arouse him to avenge, Hewn down in blood by matricidal hands.

From the Penn Greek Drama Series, this volume offers translations by David Slavitt of the great trilogy of the House of Atreus, telling of Agamemnon's murder at the hands of his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, and of Electra's rebelliousness and Orestes's ultimate revenge.