The Oresteia (Masterplots, Definitive Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Aeschylus
- First Published: 458
- Type of Work: Drama
- Type of Plot: Classical tragedy
- Time of Work: After the fall of Troy
- Setting: Argos
- Principal Characters: Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Cassandra, Aegisthus, Orestes, Electra
- Genres: Drama, Tragedy
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Slavery or slaves, Religion, Kings, queens, or royalty, Gods or goddesses, Fratricide, parricide, or filicide, Tragedy, Rites or ceremonies, Greek or Roman times, Priests, Greece or Greek people, Princes or princesses
- Locales: Greece, Athens, ancient, Delphi, ancient, Argos, ancient
Critique:
In the archonship of Philocles, in 458 b.c.e., Aeschylus won first prize with his dramatic trilogy, The Oresteia. This story of the doomed descendants of the cruel and bloody Atreus is one of the great tales of classic literature. Aeschylus, building his plays upon themes of doom and revenge, was deeply concerned with moral law in the Greek state. For this reason the moral issues of the plays are clear and steadfast, simple and devastating in implication, especially the working of conscience in the character of Orestes. Agamemnon, The Libation...
[The entire page is 2595 words long]
Navigate
- The Oresteia (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- The Oresteia (Magill Book Reviews)
- The Oresteia (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
- The Oresteia (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
- The Oresteia (Masterplots, Definitive Revised Edition)
See Also:
Aeschylus (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Aeschylus (Drama)Aeschylus (Encyclopedia of the Ancient World)Aeschylus (Dictionary of World Biography: The Ancient World)
- Add The Oresteia to your favorites