Q. What are the themes of the Oresteia?
A. There are three main themes in the Oresteia. The first theme concerns justice. It establishes a way to resolve deadly matters; both within the family and within a city. Another theme involves politics. Aeschylus wrote the trilogy to comment both the internal and the foreign political actions of Athens. Internally, it is about the Athenian Areopagus council. In 462 BC, four years before Aeschylus wrote the Oresteia (in 458 BC), Ephialtes removed the political power that the council possessed. This created a storm of controversy and the dramatist reflected on this in the “Eumenides”. Aeschylus’ view on the Areopagus is ambiguous. Some scholars think that he favored Ephialtes’ policy, while others disagree. No one knows for sure. To a lesser extent, the Oresteia concerns the foreign policy of Athens. Aeschylus wished to comment favorably the alliance between Athens and Argos signed in 464 BC.
In that period, there was a debate in Athens whether the city should ally itself
with its traditional enemy, Sparta, or with Argos, and the dramatist was delighted when the city chose the alliance with Argos. The last theme involves family relations.
And this is the main theme of the trilogy. Agamemnon returns home from Troy with a concubine, after killing his daughter Iphigenia. Also, Aeschylus wished to comment the
relationship between the sexes in a family.
Q. Could you please describe the characters of the trilogy? Let us begin with Orestes.
A. Orestes is a colorless figure. He kills his mother unwillingly by order of the god Apollo. He is the least interesting figure of the trilogy. He basically does what other people tell him to do. Orestes is weak and is the object, and not the subject, of the actions in the Oresteia.In the “Eumenides”, the power is held between the Furies, Athena and Apollo, while Orestes had no power.
Q. Agamemnon?
A. Agamemnon is a pig. He returns home to his wife Clytemnestra, after killing their daughter Iphigenia, with a concubine, Cassandra. After he murdered his daughter, his spirit became black and impious. He also uses strong works in describing the Trojan War; he states pompously that he raped Troy. Terrible behavior.
Q. Clytemnestra?
A. Clytemnestra is the strongest personality in the Oresteia and is one of the strongest in all of Greek tragedy. She is by far the most powerful woman in drama. In the first half of the “Agamemnon”, she states that she is faithful to her husband. She is so strong that she forces her husband to walk on the red carpet even though he is unwilling. The speech that she delivers after killing Agamemnon is the strongest and most explosive in all of Greek tragedy. She also enacts “justice” by killing her husband’s concubine Cassandra. In the 1970′s, there was the view that Aeschylus was misogynous for his “negative” depiction of Clytemnestra. In my opinion, Aeschylus shows great sympathy for Clytemnestra for the reasons which I previously stated Aeschylus makes her so strong for this reason.
Q. Electra?
A. Electra is a colorless figure, similar to Ismene in “Antigone”. She appears in the first half of the “Libation Bearers” (“Coefore”) and basically does nothing.
Q. Aegisthus?
A. Aegisthus is weak and vain. He is also a pathetic figure. Clytemnestra wears the pants in this relationship.
Q. Cassandra?
A. Cassandra is a tremendous dramatic device. She, as a prophetess, foresees Agamemnon’s murder. She represents the insanity of the universe; she is a holy innocent victim of the Greeks.
Q. Could you describe the importance of the outcome of Orestes’ trial?
A. The human jurors are divided equally on Orestes’ guilt. They cannot decide on the matter. Orestes is acquitted because in Athenian law, a jury must have a majority in order to condemn someone. Athena also acquits Orestes on the basis that fathers are more important than mothers because the goddess never had a mother. This is an absurd reason. The gods are irrational and arbitrary. Apollo, who ordered Orestes to kill his mother, served as his lawyer during the trial!The fickleness of Athena is also seen in Sophocles’ “Ajax”, when she changes her mind at will during the Trojan War, at times favoring the Greeks, at times the Trojans.
Q. Who was right, Clytemnestra or Orestes?
A. I do not want to use the word “right”. I will say that Clytemnestra was justified in killing her husband Agamemnon. This is the conclusion of the trilogy. Orestes was not necessarily justified in killing his mother. The issue is hard and no one really knows for sure.
