58 pages 1 hour read

Aeschylus

Oresteia

Fiction | Play | Adult | BCE

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Essay Topics

1.

Consider the choruses of the three plays in The Oresteia (the old men of Argos, the enslaved women, and the Furies). What is their role in the action of the plays? What makes the Furies a more active chorus than the other two?

2.

Prophesy and fate dictate much of Orestes’ actions in the trilogy. How does free will factor into his motivations? Do characters actually have free will in a universe ruled by gods with conflicting interests?

3.

Analyze Apollo’s argument for Orestes during the trial in The Eumenides. Are the god’s judgements sound? What methods of persuasion does he use to convince the jurors to acquit Orestes?