The Oresteia: Agamemnon, Women at the Graveside, Orestes in Athens

The most renowned of Aeschylus’ tragedies and one of the foundational texts of Western literature, the Oresteia trilogy is about cycles of deception and brutality within the ruling family of Argos. InAgamemnon, afflicted queen Clytemnestra awaits her husband’s return from war to commit a terrible act of retribution for the murder of her daughter. The next two plays, radically retitled here asThe Women at the GravesideandOrestes in Athens, deal with the aftermath of the regicide, Orestes’ search to avenge his father’s death, and the ceaseless torment of the young prince. A powerful discourse on the formation of democracy after a period of violent chaos,The Oresteiahas long illuminated the tensions between loyalty to one’s family and to the greater community. Now, Oliver Taplin’s “vivid and accessible translation” (Victoria Mohl) captures the lyricism of the original, in what is sure to be a classic for generations to come.