681 reviews for:

Aeschylus I: Oresteia, Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers & The Eumenides

Richmond Lattimore, Aeschylus, David Grene

3.91 AVERAGE

rorymcn's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional medium-paced

twilsonovi's review against another edition

4.5

---

Astonishingly dynamic, filled with highly wrought blood feuds and honour killings, and punctuated by the most evocative transitions in time and between the three plays that make up the trilogy, especially that from the bloody end of Agamemnon to Orestes kneeling resolutely over the grave. Had no idea Greek tragedy would be so cinematic (until the slightly strange and ideologically misogynistic court scene at the conclusion of the Eumenides)

lukian's review against another edition

3.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

saralilyb's review against another edition

4.0

---

The Oresteian Trilogy is the foundation of tragedy. You need to read it just like you need to read The Odyssey. This was my first time through even though I was familiar with the tropes and scenes through references from other works. The plays are a lot of things, but at its root it's a metaphor for the ascension of society's motivation for good from fear of reprisal as embodied in the Furies, to duty (and fear of its retribution) as embodied by Apollo, to a kind of holy rationality, as embodied by Athene and her counsel. It is ultimately a Whiggish work, convinced society moves ever forward in progress towards harmony.

The one thing that shook me as a modern reader coming to the book in 2017, and a reader who knows the connotations of "maleness" and masculinity in ancient Greek and Roman writing, was that in the climactic scene of The Eumenides, Athene says she sides with Orestes, saying that killing a man as his mother killed his father is a worse crime than killing a woman, as Orestes killed his mother, because of "male supremacy in all things". It's kind of a shit explanation, especially coming from a woman written by a man.

Anyway, read the book. It's embedded in many works of tragedy and worth knowing how the building was built these 2400 years later.

suekken's review against another edition

4.0

---

Agamemnon
I enjoyed this one a lot, as per usual the woman in Greek plays are the only good characters. Cassandra's and Clytaemnestra's speeches were great and I am once again on the side of the scorned wife.
The Libation Bearers 
This one was just ok, I prefer when the characters have some agency in the decisions but in this one it was all predestined and the players were helpless to follow. Orestes is a bit boring as a lead.
The Eumenides
It was ok I guess, the most boring out of the three.

georgioszog's review against another edition

5.0

---

Η μόνη τριλογία αρχαίου δράματος που σώθηκε. Αν και υπάρχει τεράστια απόσταση από την εποχή που γράφτηκε και παίχτηκε και ως εκ τούτου το χάσμα είναι σχεδόν αγεφύρωτο, μπορεί κανείς να νιώσει, ακόμα και μέσα από την ανάγνωση, την ανησυχία των γερόντων και την πανουργία της Κλυταιμνήστρας στον Ἀγαμέμνονα, τα σχέδια του Ορέστη στις Χοηφόρους και, φυσικά, την αγωνία και το ηθικό δίλημμα στις Εὐμενίδες όπου ο θεατής αντιμετωπίζει τις τρομερές Ερινύες με με τα μάτια τους που στάζουν αηδιαστικά υγρά... Τελικά ο θεός ορίζει τα πάντα, ακόμα και τις πιο δικές μας πράξεις; Και αν ναι, η υποταγή σε αυτόν είναι επιβεβλημένη;

catbus06's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

chrispatrickhansen's review against another edition

3.0

---

Probably more of a 3.5 than a 3. Ancient Greek stories are always interesting, in some ways it feels like a glimpse into something that now seems so foreign, in other ways -- well, outdated. Hughes translation is a nice combination of flowery and succinct, I accredit some of the more arduous lengthy paragraphs to the age of the text rather than the translation. Obviously - reading a text this old (and translated by a man this downright scummy, rest in piss Ted Hughes) means finding outdated ideas. Horrendous sexism is ripe in The Oresteia, as one might expect. I don't recommend trying to remove yourself from the visceral reaction this will cause - it can actually be a very stimulating and productive perspective to approach it from. I would describe my experience reading this play text as 'interested and inquisitive' over 'moved and enthralled'. Worth a box-ticking read, and a nod of acknowledgement for it's place in the canon. 3.5/5 Stars

rosie_zzzz's review against another edition

5.0

---

سه‌گانه‌ای منسجم و شکوهمند با ترجمه‌ای هنری و شگفت‌انگیز


نمایشنامه‌ی آگاممنون: چیزی که اینجا متوجه نمی‌شدم این بود که چرا هیچ‌کس به این‌که خود آگاممنون هم آدم خوبی نبود اشاره نمی‌کرد (به‌جز کلوتمنسترا که حرفش اهمیتی نداشت). اگر اورستس فکر می‌کنه جنایتش با جنایتکار بودن مقتول پاک می‌شه، کلوتمنسترا هم همین رو می‌تونه بگه. اگه الاهگان انتقام سر اورستس فرو اومدن که همخونش رو کشته، چرا سر آگاممنون فرو نیومدن که بازم همخونش رو کشته؟ آگاممنون خیلی بیش از حد لیاقتش خوب جلوه داده شد.

نمایشنامه‌ی نیازآوران: محتوای این نمایشنامه تقریباً مشابه نمایشنامه «الکترا» اثر سوفوکلس بود که من اون رو بیشتر دوست داشتم.

نمایشنامه‌ی الاهگان انتقام: چطوریه که اسم زئوس تو یک نمایشنامه انقد نشان قدرت و احترام و عدالت و «دیگه حرفی نزنی اسم زئوس رو آوردم» عه ولی یه نمایشنامه بعد (پرومتئوس در بند» نشونه‌ی شر و بدی و بی‌عدالتیه؟ :/

seawoodwrites's review against another edition

5.0

---

Read for Coursera Greek & Roman Mythology 2012

WOW. I haven't read anything that made me so angry in ages. I don't want to give the plot away but I will say I'm angry from a feminist standpoint: what was done to the Furies - and what they represent - is beyond dreadful. This is *all* about patriarchy getting the upper hand and back-filling the mythology to justify it.

Read it. You won't regret it.