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The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides (Penguin Classics)
 
 
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The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

~ (Author), W. B. Stanford (Editor, Introduction, Contributor), Robert Fagles (Translator) "Dear gods, set me free from all the pain, the long watch I keep, one whole year awake .. propped on my arms, crouched on..." (more)
Key Phrases: third libation, tragic choice, Mother Earth, Saving Zeus, Apollo Apollo (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the "Oresteia" - the only trilogy in Greek drama which survives from antiquity - Aeschylus took as his subject the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Moving from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, its spirit of struggle and regeneration is eternal.


Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)

Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics (February 7, 1984)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140443339
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140443332
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,822 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #2 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Aeschylus
    #5 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Classical & Early
    #9 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Greek

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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Dear gods, set me free from all the pain, the long watch I keep, one whole year awake .. propped on my arms, crouched on the roofs of Atreus like a dog. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
third libation, tragic choice
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mother Earth, Saving Zeus, Apollo Apollo, Mother Night, Queen Athena
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31 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Murder, Punishment, Redemption, April 2, 2000
By C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
The Oresteia (the only extant complete Greek trilogy) consists of three plays: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and the Eumenides. It begins with Agamemnon returning home triumphant from the Trojan war only to be struck down (together with the tragic Cassandra) by his wife Clytaemnestra. Her motives while just (he sacrificed their daughter Iphigeneia to calm the winds) are impure because of her adultery with Aegisthus.

The second play is the vehicle for Clytaemnestra's punishment, as her son Orestes returns to kill both her and Aegisthus with the help of his sister Electra.

Finally, the Eumenides has the trial of Orestes by Athena, as she stops the furies from taking him in return for the blood-guilt he incurred for killing his mother. The Eumenides provides the way to end the cycle of revenge by banishing the furies from active participation in the world of men.

The cycle can be read in any number of ways. The introduction to the Penguin/Fagles translation contains a summary of the various readings. I kept wondering what Proteus, the missing fourth satyr-play would have provided. We read it so clearly as a trilogy and the Eumenides has such a harmonious ending that I can't help but wonder if the circle closed in the third play reopens in the fourth or if it was something else entirely.

My only complaint about the book is that in the Fagles translation the notes are at the back of the book rather than assigned per page, and I find that a cumbersome style to read.

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47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Translation, February 24, 2002
By Daniel Bay Gibbons (Salt Lake City, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
With his recent translations of Aeschylus, Sophocles and especially Homer, Robert Fagles assumes the status of the finest Greek translator of the age. The grandeur, excitement and triumph of this beautiful translation cannot be overstated. The Oresteia is truly one the most monumental and enduring legacies from the Golden Age. Here is a translation which befits the greatness of the subject.

Some additional random musings:

1. This is one of the many books I was "forced" to read in graded courses at the University, but only really first discovered when I was long graduated and freed from all compulsory studies. In the meantime I have also had the time and passion to study -- very slowly and with great delight -- the originals.

2. As with other "great" works of literature, my advice is to ignore what the "experts" have to say about the work and go straight to the work itself. Thus, skip the intimidating intro and dive right into the text, doubling back later only if the muse strikes you.

3. After reading and then rereading Fagles' new translation of the Agamemnon, Libation Bearers and Eumenides I am struck by the similarities of the Oresteia in both tone, theme and mien to the greatest Shakespearean tragedies, especially Hamlet. My dogeared copy of this Aeschylus is now bristling with notes and crossreferences to the Bard.

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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gen X: READ THIS!, January 27, 1998
Professor Fagles' translation of the Oresteia trilogy is the most powerful, moving, intense, bloody, achingly sad and beautiful drama I have ever read. As a typical member of the late Baby Boomer/early Gen X generation, I was never assigned such texts in school, and had the misconception that anything written by an ancient Greek must be boring, stale, and irrelevant. Fagles' Oresteia translation shows how misguided we are, and (along with his Illiad, Odyssey, and Three Theban Plays) opens up an incredible world to so many of us who have been in the dark.

Do not read this simply for your intellectual, moral, and spiritual improvement -- experience this because it is so enjoyable. "Pulp Fiction," "The Terminator," "The Titanic," Stephen King, or the latest Martin Scorcese film cannot compare for plot, intrigue, sex, violence, gore, intensity, entertainment, or cutting edge creativity.

From the plays' depiction of horrendous and unspeakable crimes to its climactic courtroom drama, you'll see why so many ancient playgoers fainted in the audience -- some women even having spontaneous miscarriages -- and why modern readers are so shocked and on the edge of their armchairs. Even if you've never read a "classic" or a "great book," read this.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best translation of the Oresteia
I appreciated the opportunity to read Robert Fagles' translation of The Oresteia. To be sure, it is a difficult text and translation to read, but probably the best. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Howard Schulman

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine collection of Aeschylus' magnum opus.
All drama exists in the shadow of the three great tragedians of Ancient Greece; Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Read more
Published 17 months ago by S. Curley

5.0 out of 5 stars The first "greatest story ever told."
Like Bach's music, the Oresteia expresses early on the full panorama of the human spirit and soul. How do you stop the violence (in Iraq, Palestine, anywhere)? Read more
Published 19 months ago by Vincent Amato

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading
i first came across these stories when I was 14, i read them again in collage and have read them ever since. Read more
Published on May 23, 2007 by M. ferreira

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent trilogy
Aeschylus (525-456 BC) is the father of Greek tragedies (one legend reports that Dionysus himself commanded Aeschylus to write them). Read more
Published on April 23, 2007 by Kurt A. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars even better the second time around
These are great plays, and this is a beautiful translation.

I think, though, that to really appreciate what Aeschylus accomplished (aided and abetted by Fagles), most... Read more
Published on June 22, 2006 by Robert Kirkman

3.0 out of 5 stars How do you say a classic is way overated?
Sure the poetry is great,
but these three plays make a small episode in modern terms...
A very slow one at that. Read more
Published on June 14, 2006 by R. Bagula

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating continuation of Agamemnon's story- Life after The Illiad
I am a college graduate who has almost no familiarity with classical literature- my interests lie with nineteenth-twentieth century British literature. Read more
Published on March 14, 2006 by Kimberly A. Goetz

5.0 out of 5 stars There is no reason not to own this book
The Oresteia is a fantastic trilogy. Although it is about 2500 years old, it is still relevant today (Why does Saddam Hussein deserve a trial?). Read more
Published on December 21, 2005 by Dan

5.0 out of 5 stars Aeschylus' Tragic Trilogy on Justice
Penguin Classics provides probably the most complete introductions to Classical literature available anywhere. Read more
Published on September 19, 2005 by Claudia J. Gay

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