The Oresteia - Softcover

Aeschylus

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Softcover

ISBN 10: 1502364301 ISBN 13: 9781502364302

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

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In the Oresteia Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration. In Agamemnon, a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution; The Libation Bearers deals with the aftermath of Clytemnestra's regicide, as her son Orestes sets out to avenge his father's death; and in The Eumenides, Orestes is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased. Forming an elegant and subtle discourse on the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, The Oresteia is a compelling tragedy of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society.

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About the Author

Joshua Billings is Assistant Professor of Classics at Princeton University. He is the author of Genealogy of the Tragic: Greek Tragedy and German Philosophy.

Oliver Taplin is emeritus professor of classics at the University of Oxford. His books range from The Stagecraft of Aeschylus to Pots & Plays. He has recently published translations of Euripides’ Medea and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Other Tragedies.

From AudioFile

Although these Greek plays are 25 centuries old, this production is, remarkably, the first audio release to include the complete trilogy. The strongest play is the final one, THE EUMENIDES, during which Orestes is tried before Athena for the murder of his mother, Clytemnestra. It features a fine performance by Robertson Dean as Apollo, Orestes's advocate. After listening to the trilogy, it's easy to appreciate the challenges of adapting Greek dramatic conventions to audio. For example, lengthy passages are delivered by a chorus, which may seem contrived to modern listeners. Unfortunately, this production magnifies that awkwardness--far too many lines are delivered with injudicious sound effects and multiple voices that are more cloying than dramatic. D.B. � AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright � AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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