Orestes

Orestes is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of King Agamemnon of Mycenae and Queen Clytemnestra, and a central character in the Atreid myth-cycle and in Aeschylus' Oresteia. In most accounts he is a prince of Argos and, with his sister Electra, returns to avenge his father after Agamemnon is slain by Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus.

With the help of his friend Pylades and on the command of Apollo, Orestes kills Clytemnestra and Aegisthus to avenge Agamemnon. He soon finds himself harassed by the Erinyes (Furies) for the crime of matricide, and flees to Delphi for purification and counsel from Apollo.

In the final part of the myth, Athena arranges a trial in Athens, wherein a jury absolves Orestes and the Furies are appeased, being transformed into the Eumenides, benevolent protectors of the city. The Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus dramatizes this transition from blood vengeance to law and civic order.

Influence: Orestes appears in other ancient plays, notably Euripides’ Orestes, and has remained a potent symbol in literature and psychology for guilt, justice, and the conflict between divine prerogative and human law.

Name and legacy: The given name is of Greek origin. Orestes’ story has been read as one of the earliest literary explorations of legal due process and the founding myths of Athenian judicial ideals.