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A review by graylodge_library
The Oresteia Trilogy: Agamemnon, The Libation-bearers and The Furies by Aeschylus, Aeschylus
5.0
When the Oresteia trilogy begins, Troy has been reduced to ashes and Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, returns home victorious. The Oresteia is just a small portion of the family history of the cursed House of Atreus. The trilogy begins with Agamemnon's murder and the rest deals with its consequences, but in truth the previous events of Greek mythology are very much simmering in the background. Beginning with Tantalus killing his own son and feeding him to the gods (who, apart from the distracted Demeter, thankfully knew what was on their plates and declined the meal), the family line is from there on tainted with adultery, betrayal, murder, more cannibalism, boastfulness, arrogance etc.
There are several retellings of the main events of Greek mythology, and in some versions Aegisthus is Agamemnon's killer. In Aeschylus's play, what drives Clytemnestra to kill her husband is the blind need to revenge the death of their daughter Iphigenia. Because Agamemnon had previously angered Artemis with his own haughty idiocy, Artemis tried to stop the Greeks from going to Troy, and the only way to get the fleet sailing was to sacrifice Iphigenia (who, surprisingly, had no problems with being killed). Knowing that Clytemnestra is unaware of Artemis switching Iphigenia with a deer, and that she secretly lives elsewhere as the goddess's priestess, gives the story another level of tragedy.
Although Iphigenia's death was considered a necessary act to appease Artemis, it's no wonder that Clytemnestra's motherly love turns into cold hate when she thinks she's been the victim of a heinous betrayal. She's described as being a steel-hearted bitch, who thinks like a man and wraps her victims in her trap. When she's accused of being hysterical like a woman, she calmly denies it and is happy to have driven murder, madness, and grudge out of her house.
While Clytemnestra's perverted and illogical sense of justice is obviously wrong, Aeschylus's portrayal of her isn't black and white or one-dimensional. In Agamemnon's absence, Clytemnestra had started an affair with Aegisthus (who's after the throne he believes belongs to him), but it remains unclear whether Aegisthus truly loves her and Clytemnestra was an independent agent in starting the relationship, or if she's just a victim of another unscrupulous man.
Clytemnestra is also shown as the prototype of an ultimate femme fatale. She's hated not because she murders someone, but because she dares to strike a powerful man down, who is respected by his enemies and is considered as the head of the household. Agamemnon's home is his castle, but the cunning and insolent Clytemnestra smears it with blood, spews hatred out of her snake-like mouth, and uses her sexuality to get what she wants. She willfully abandons her position as the keeper of the hearth and the dutiful wife and mother ().
If Clytemnestra had sought justice for her daughter, would she have gotten it? In her twisted head full of grief, the murder might have been the only way out she saw, the only way to avenge her daughter's supposed murder. The grudge just kept on growing, while she was forced to patiently wait for her husband from the war (despite having someone to warm her bed, which admittedly was probably a fun distraction). A husband who further disrespected her by bringing the prophetess Cassandra with him, intending to keep her as his concubine.
Interestingly, Clytemnestra's sister, Helen of Troy, is portrayed as almost equally treacherous woman, who might not have killed anyone with her own hands, but she's perceived as having deliberately caused the Trojan War. Instead of being the pawn of goddesses or the victim of Paris's rape/abduction like in other retellings, here she's referred to as a whore. Paris, who willingly took Helen to Troy despite the fact that he must have known the consequences, is apparently just a poor wet rag without a will of his own, and who allowed himself to be seduced by Helen's feminine wiles.
Further on in the trilogy, Agamemnon's and Clytemnestra's son Orestes returns home from exile, and the tone changes. Although I prefer the feverish madness and the atmosphere of pending doom of the first part of the trilogy, the presence of gods keeps the second half almost as interesting. The argument about whether Orestes deserves punishment for what he did to avenge his father's death ends in voting. It's a great demonstration of how gods were a major part in deciding the fate of humans and in punishing those who upset the peace, but also how gods aren't perfect and often get into disagreements.
Orestes ends up being chased by the spooky Furies hungry for punishment (I'd love to see on stage the scene when they frst appear, because that's some real gothic eeriness right there), although Apollo and Orestes's sister Electra sided with Orestes and goaded him into his act. This disagreement is the highlight of the second half, although Apollo's reasoning is ridiculous:. In tradition of Greek tragedies, Oresteia ends hopefully, and a new legal system is established, one that moves away from revenge towards fair trials. We're left with the echo of the always relevant issue: good thoughts breed kindness, but hatred and arrogance spawn misery and bloodbaths.
Note: Since Oresteia is rife with metaphors and references to Greek mythology, it's a good idea to invest in an edition with good footnotes, appendixes, an introduction, and whatever else makes the reading easier. I was lucky to have read an excellent Finnish translation, that was modern enough to make it easy to understand, but not too much to take away from the beautiful lyricism of the text.
Note 2: Pierre-Narcisse Guérin's Murder of Agamemnon has been one of my favorite paintings ever since I saw it in Louvre in 2007. The smouldering colours and the look of rage in Clytemnestra's eyes are just breathtaking, and can never be reproduced in a mere photo of the work.
There are several retellings of the main events of Greek mythology, and in some versions Aegisthus is Agamemnon's killer. In Aeschylus's play, what drives Clytemnestra to kill her husband is the blind need to revenge the death of their daughter Iphigenia. Because Agamemnon had previously angered Artemis with his own haughty idiocy, Artemis tried to stop the Greeks from going to Troy, and the only way to get the fleet sailing was to sacrifice Iphigenia (who, surprisingly, had no problems with being killed). Knowing that Clytemnestra is unaware of Artemis switching Iphigenia with a deer, and that she secretly lives elsewhere as the goddess's priestess, gives the story another level of tragedy.
Although Iphigenia's death was considered a necessary act to appease Artemis, it's no wonder that Clytemnestra's motherly love turns into cold hate when she thinks she's been the victim of a heinous betrayal. She's described as being a steel-hearted bitch, who thinks like a man and wraps her victims in her trap. When she's accused of being hysterical like a woman, she calmly denies it and is happy to have driven murder, madness, and grudge out of her house.
While Clytemnestra's perverted and illogical sense of justice is obviously wrong, Aeschylus's portrayal of her isn't black and white or one-dimensional. In Agamemnon's absence, Clytemnestra had started an affair with Aegisthus (who's after the throne he believes belongs to him), but it remains unclear whether Aegisthus truly loves her and Clytemnestra was an independent agent in starting the relationship, or if she's just a victim of another unscrupulous man.
Clytemnestra is also shown as the prototype of an ultimate femme fatale. She's hated not because she murders someone, but because she dares to strike a powerful man down, who is respected by his enemies and is considered as the head of the household. Agamemnon's home is his castle, but the cunning and insolent Clytemnestra smears it with blood, spews hatred out of her snake-like mouth, and uses her sexuality to get what she wants. She willfully abandons her position as the keeper of the hearth and the dutiful wife and mother (
Spoiler
and this, ladies and gentlemen, Orestes considers a worse crime than Aegisthus's, who "only" plotted with Clytemnestra to seize the throne from Agamemnon and would probably have eventually killed the legitimate heir Orestes as a threat!If Clytemnestra had sought justice for her daughter, would she have gotten it? In her twisted head full of grief, the murder might have been the only way out she saw, the only way to avenge her daughter's supposed murder. The grudge just kept on growing, while she was forced to patiently wait for her husband from the war (despite having someone to warm her bed, which admittedly was probably a fun distraction). A husband who further disrespected her by bringing the prophetess Cassandra with him, intending to keep her as his concubine.
Interestingly, Clytemnestra's sister, Helen of Troy, is portrayed as almost equally treacherous woman, who might not have killed anyone with her own hands, but she's perceived as having deliberately caused the Trojan War. Instead of being the pawn of goddesses or the victim of Paris's rape/abduction like in other retellings, here she's referred to as a whore. Paris, who willingly took Helen to Troy despite the fact that he must have known the consequences, is apparently just a poor wet rag without a will of his own, and who allowed himself to be seduced by Helen's feminine wiles.
Further on in the trilogy, Agamemnon's and Clytemnestra's son Orestes returns home from exile, and the tone changes. Although I prefer the feverish madness and the atmosphere of pending doom of the first part of the trilogy, the presence of gods keeps the second half almost as interesting. The argument about whether Orestes deserves punishment for what he did to avenge his father's death ends in voting. It's a great demonstration of how gods were a major part in deciding the fate of humans and in punishing those who upset the peace, but also how gods aren't perfect and often get into disagreements.
Orestes ends up being chased by the spooky Furies hungry for punishment (I'd love to see on stage the scene when they frst appear, because that's some real gothic eeriness right there), although Apollo and Orestes's sister Electra sided with Orestes and goaded him into his act. This disagreement is the highlight of the second half, although Apollo's reasoning is ridiculous:
Spoiler
a mother is not the parent, just a carrier of the seed of the father, so it's ok to kill your mother, if she killed the head of the household! (asswipe...)Note: Since Oresteia is rife with metaphors and references to Greek mythology, it's a good idea to invest in an edition with good footnotes, appendixes, an introduction, and whatever else makes the reading easier. I was lucky to have read an excellent Finnish translation, that was modern enough to make it easy to understand, but not too much to take away from the beautiful lyricism of the text.
Note 2: Pierre-Narcisse Guérin's Murder of Agamemnon has been one of my favorite paintings ever since I saw it in Louvre in 2007. The smouldering colours and the look of rage in Clytemnestra's eyes are just breathtaking, and can never be reproduced in a mere photo of the work.
