Aeschylus: The Oresteia is a brief analysis by Simon Goldhill of the famous Greek trilogy. In it, Goldhill connects the intricacies of Greek society to tragedy, explaining the impacts of politics and culture on Aeschylus’s work for the purpose of giving students and professors alike a deeper understanding of the series. He states that the goal of this book is to give in-depth analyses of certain key sections of the Oresteia so as to show the complexity of Aeschylus’s work. Goldhill focuses on specific
The Oresteia is a reactionary text to the Iliad, with all of the traditional values presented in the Iliad reversed, allowing Aeschylus to critique former Greek life and celebrate the modern civilization he would have viewed as Athens. Aeschylus’ play would have been seen by the male citizens of Athens. In other words, Aeschylus’ play would have been seen by those with the most power and influence in Athens. One of the most notable Athenian traits was their hubristic view of their culture. They considered
In the Oresteia, Clytemnestra, the queen and wife of Agamemnon, plays a critical role as she is who changes how women can be when in control. She is distressed as horrid events occur to her but she does not show any sign of fear. Almost becoming like any other men, she becomes fearful and dangerous in order to get her vengeance on this one man that did her dirty. Gender is a major issue in this trilogy. The trial in the Eumenides can be seen as a battle between genders, with Apollo as the male