Oresteia

Oresteia is a trilogy of ancient Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus and performed in Athens in the late 5th century BCE. It consists of three plays: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers (Choephori), and The Eumenides. It is the only surviving example of a complete Greek trilogy and was presented at the City Dionysia as a linked sequence with a continuous dramatic arc and a chorus that remains throughout the cycle.

Plot and setting: The action centers on the House of Atreus. In Agamemnon, the long-suffering ruler Agamemnon returns from Trojan War only to be murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her paramour, Aegisthus. The Libation Bearers follows Orestes, son of Agamemnon, aided by his sister Electra, as he returns to avenge the murder by killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. The Eumenides shows Orestes pursued by the Furies until Athena intervenes in Athens, where a new legal order is established. Orestes is judged by the court rather than by vendetta, and the Furies are transformed into the Eumenides, guardians of justice.

Themes and significance: The trilogy examines vengeance and its consequences, the tension between divine and human law, and the origin of the rule of law in state institutions. It is widely regarded as a cornerstone of ancient Greek tragedy and a foundational work for Western drama. The Oresteia is commonly studied for its dramatic structure, its unity of plot across the trilogy, and its political and ethical themes. The designation Oresteia is a modern scholarly label; the plays were performed separately, though linked as a single dramatic work. The trilogy has influenced later drama and philosophical thought and remains a core subject in classics and literature studies.