The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by the playwright Aeschylus. It consists of three plays: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides. The story centers around the tragic fate of the House of Atreus, beginning with the return of King Agamemnon from the Trojan War. In the first play, Agamemnon, the king is murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, as revenge for sacrificing their daughter, Iphigenia, before the war. In The Libation Bearers, Agamemnon’s son, Orestes, returns home and avenges his father's death by killing Clytemnestra. The final play, The Eumenides, follows Orestes as he is pursued by the Furies for the murder of his mother, but he is ultimately put on trial, and the gods intervene to establish a new system of justice. The trilogy explores themes of vengeance, justice, and the transition from personal retribution to a more organized legal system.

ISBN: 9780140443332