The Origins of Western Theater File
... agon, the focus of the second play. This in turn produced a third agon, the subject of the third play, which apparently closed with an end of suffering and some sort of change or understanding. The Oresteia deals with characters from the Trojan War. In the first play, King Agamemnon is murdered by h ...
... agon, the focus of the second play. This in turn produced a third agon, the subject of the third play, which apparently closed with an end of suffering and some sort of change or understanding. The Oresteia deals with characters from the Trojan War. In the first play, King Agamemnon is murdered by h ...
Oresteia
The Oresteia (Ancient Greek: Ὀρέστεια) is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus concerning the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. When originally performed it was accompanied by Proteus, a satyr play that would have been performed following the trilogy. Proteus has not survived. In all likelihood the term ""Oresteia"" originally referred to all four plays; today, however, it is generally used to designate the surviving trilogy. The only extant example of an ancient Greek theater trilogy, the Oresteia was originally performed at the Dionysia festival in Athens in 458 BC, where it won first prize. Principal themes of the trilogy include the differences between revenge and justice, as well as the shift from practicing personal vendetta to a system of litigation. The name derives from the character Orestes, who sets out to avenge his father's murder.