Oresteia
Aeschylus' trilogy of tragedies tracing the cycle of bloodshed in the house of Atreus
The Meaning of Oresteia
The Oresteia, performed in 458 BCE, is the only complete tragic trilogy to survive from ancient Athens. The first play, Agamemnon, depicts the king's return from Troy and his murder by his wife Clytemnestra, who has nursed years of fury over his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia. The second play, The Libation Bearers, follows their son Orestes as he returns from exile to avenge his father by killing Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus — an act commanded by Apollo but which unleashes the Furies, ancient spirits of blood-vengeance. The final play, The Eumenides, moves the crisis from the personal to the civic: Orestes is pursued to Athens, where Athena establishes a jury trial to judge his case. The jury divides equally, and Athena casts the deciding vote for acquittal, transforming the Furies into benevolent guardian spirits. The trilogy traces the evolution from private vendetta to public justice and is considered one of the supreme achievements of Western drama.
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None recorded
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Fun Fact
The Oresteia is the only surviving complete trilogy from ancient Greek theatre and won first prize at the City Dionysia in 458 BCE
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Aeschylus
💭 conceptTragedy, justice, divine law
Father of Greek tragedy who introduced the second actor and composed the Oresteia trilogy
House of Atreus
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The cursed royal dynasty of Mycenae whose generations of bloodshed and vengeance form the darkest saga in Greek mythology
Persians
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Aeschylus' tragedy dramatising the Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis from the Persian perspective
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💭 conceptLiterature
Euripides' final tragedy depicting the arrival of Dionysus in Thebes and the destruction of those who deny his divinity
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💭 conceptLiterature
Sophocles' tragedy revealing how Oedipus unknowingly fulfils the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother
Theban Cycle
💭 conceptepic, dynasty
The cycle of myths surrounding the cursed royal house of Thebes, from Cadmus's founding through Oedipus's tragedy to the war of the Seven and their sons.
Iliad
💭 conceptLiterature
Homer's epic poem recounting the wrath of Achilles during the final year of the Trojan War
Sophocles
💭 conceptTragedy, fate, heroism
Athenian tragedian who introduced the third actor and created Oedipus and Antigone
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💭 conceptDynasty, Thebes
The cursed ruling house of Thebes spanning from Cadmus through Oedipus to the fratricidal war of his sons
Seven Against Thebes
💭 conceptNarrative
The doomed military expedition of seven champions against the city of Thebes in the generation before the Trojan War
Oedipus Cycle
💭 conceptNarrative
The interconnected myths tracing the cursed lineage of Oedipus from prophecy to tragic fulfilment
Frogs
💭 conceptLiterature
Aristophanes' comedy in which Dionysus journeys to Hades to bring back a great tragic poet