Agamemnon
by Aeschylus · Ἀγαμέμνων
Assigned by 3 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 458 BCE
- Form
- Tragedy
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Oresteia, translated by Robert FaglesPenguin Classics, 1984Vivid and readable, with a long introduction and notes; contains all three plays of the trilogy.
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The first play of the Oresteia. A watchman sees the beacon announcing the fall of Troy, and Agamemnon returns to Argos with the captive prophetess Cassandra. His wife Clytemnestra, who has ruled in his absence with her lover Aegisthus, persuades him to walk into the palace on crimson tapestries. Cassandra foresees the murder and her own death and goes in to meet it. Clytemnestra kills them both and stands over the bodies, claiming justice for the daughter Agamemnon sacrificed at Aulis, while the chorus of old men foretells the return of Orestes.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Agamemnon are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
