Sure, Electra is a princess of the powerful city of Mycenae, but she just can't get into it. In her mind, her mom's a murderous adulteress who gave her dad's kingdom away to a jerkwad.
For a while now, Electra has been writing to her brother Orestes for help. Orestes didn't grow up in Mycenae because his nurse secreted him away to stay with a dude named King Strophius for fear that Clytemnestra would kill him too.
In some versions, Electra was the one who spirited her brother away. Now that Orestes is a big boy, Electra is really hoping he'll come back to Mycenae and get revenge on their mother and her new king.
Orestes is stressed out about the idea of killing his own mother no matter what she did, so he goes to the Oracle of Delphi to get some advice. At the Oracle, he's told by Apollo that he's got to go back to Mycenae and give his mom the smackdown. Orestes is like, "Well, if you say so! Orestes disguises himself as a messenger from Stophius who's come to tell the folks in Mycenae that "Orestes" is dead. Before heading to the palace to off his mom, Orestes goes to Agamemnon's tomb to pay his respect by offering a lock of hair.
Orestes and Pylades run into Electra at the tomb, and the girl is super happy to see her bro finally made it back. Now, it's time for revenge. Using his messenger disguise to get into the palace, Orestes carries out the bloody deed. Before you know it, Clytemnestra is dead as doornail. Oh, and Orestes kills Aegisthus too. Instead of getting a reward for his gruesome deed, Orestes is suddenly attacked by the Furies. These dark-winged, snake-haired ladies from the Underworld are in charge of punishing wrongdoers, especially those that commit crimes against their own family.
Why they haven't show up around here before now is anybody's guess. The Furies drive Orestes totally crazy. They chase him all around the land, shrieking, whipping him, throwing snakes at him, you name it. You told me to do this, and now I've got these crazy ladies driving me nuts. When Orestes gets to Athens, Apollo sets up a trial with a jury and Athena, goddess of wisdom, as the judge.
Both sides argue their case. The Furies say that Orestes is a terrible mother-killer. Orestes says that his mother was a husband-killer and that he was ordered to do it by Apollo. The jury ends up being hung, but Athena breaks the tie and acquits Orestes, saying that the cycle of bloodlust that's plagued Orestes' family needs to end.
Athena appeases the furious Furies by renaming them the Eumenides which means The Kindly Ones and giving them a place of honor and worship in Athens. The final play in the trilogy is The Eumenides , a play that also serves as a foundation myth for the Athenian court system.
It opens with Orestes, still pursued by the Erinyes, fleeing to Delphi to appeal to Apollo for help, since Apollo sent him to kill his mother in the first place. Apollo cannot send the Erinyes away, but he does make them fall asleep so Hermes can escort Orestes to Athens. The goddess presides over the trial with twelve Athenian citizens acting as jury; this is the mythical origin of the jury trial. The vote splits down the middle; six jurors find Orestes innocent and six find him guilty.
It is up to Athena to cast the deciding vote, and she votes in favor of Orestes. This is the mythical origin of the Athenian custom that a tied vote is always decided in favor of the defendant. But the Erinyes do not accept the verdict; they still want to punish Orestes for the murder of his mother.
Skip to content The Oresteia is a cycle of three plays, written by the playwright Aeschylus, about Orestes, the son of Agamemnon. The Libation Bearers The next play in the cycle is called The Libation Bearers and it takes place seven or eight years after the death of Agamemnon. Orestes and Pylades kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus on a cinerary funerary urn in the Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonino Salinas in Palermo, Italy The Eumenides The final play in the trilogy is The Eumenides , a play that also serves as a foundation myth for the Athenian court system.
Apollo purifying Orestes while the Erinyes sleep nearby with the ghost of Clytemnestra trying to awaken them, found on a krater in the Louvre Once in Athens, Orestes appeals to Athena for help and Athena organizes a trial for Orestes. Previous: The Odyssey — An Introduction.
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