x dismiss this message
Did you know you can edit this page?
-
Sign Into Shelfari
-
Choose something to edit
-
Save your contributions
see page history
Description edit
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- I. E.: Add a description of this character.
- Blom
- Hart
- Agamemnon: Orestes and Electra's father, murdered prior to the beginning of the play by Clytamnestra, his wife. He is a central figure in the play due to the fact that all of the acts of vengeance committed in the play stem directly from his sacrificial murder of his daughter, Iphigineia.
- Weil
- Simonid
- Agamemnonis
- Butler
- Sobel
- Franz
- Clytaemnestrae
- F. W. Schmidt
- Herm
- Ahrens
- Iphigineia: Sister to Orestes and Electra, murdered by her father Agamemnon at Artemis's request during the Trojan War. Clytamnestra avenges her death by killing Agamemnon, continuing and setting in greater motion the cycle of blood violence.
- Hermes: The Greek god of messages, transitions, travelers, and hidden meanings, Hermes is invoked several times throughout The Libation Bearers. In the first lines of the play, Orestes prays to Hermes to guide him in his quest, asking that he conduct Agamemnon's spirit from the underworld in order to stand by him as he confronts the murderers. The chorus also calls on Hermes when they pray for Orestes's victory, asking him to keep certain things hidden and bring other things to light. In effect, they ask Hermes to make sure that Clytamnestra and Aigisthos do not recognize the truth before it is too late.
- Apollo: The Greek god of light, civilization and learning, Apollo does not appear directly in The Libation Bearers, although his influence is strongly felt. He is represented by his proxy, Pylades. It is Apollo who sends an oracle to Orestes that orders him to avenge Agamemnon's murder, threatening gruesome punishments if he should refuse. Apollo's designs are at first in line with the ancient order of the Furies, as he commands Orestes to shed blood for blood. However, Apollo has also promised that Orestes will not have to pay for his crimes, in direct contrast to the cycle of vengeance. In the Eumenides, Apollo will advocate in favor of Orestes against Clytamnestra and the Furies.
- Aigisthos: The son of Thyestes, Aigisthos is a weak character in Aeschylus's version of the myth. In other versions of this story, Aigisthos, not Clytamnestra, concocts the plan to kill Agamemnon and then carries out the deed. In the Oresteia, however, Aigisthos is a rather minor character and is overshadowed by Clytamnestra, who takes him as her lover but who clearly wears the pants in the relationship. Aigisthos has his own reasons for hating Agamemnon, as it was Agamemnon's father Atreus who betrayed Aigisthos's father and killed his two brothers.
- Cilissa: The rather simple nurse of Orestes, Cilissa plays a small but crucial role in The Libation Bearers. She appears only once, just after Orestes has told Clytamnestra that he is a stranger from Delphi who comes bearing news of Orestes's death. She fulfills two major functions in the drama. First, she tells us that she raised Orestes from birth, soothing him through his infant nights and breastfeeding him when he was hungry. She thus negates Clytamnestra's claim to motherhood of Orestes. Second, it is she who Clytamnestra orders to tell Aigisthos to come meet the strangers with his bodyguard. After the chorus intervenes, she alters the message so that Aigisthos goes alone to meet Orestes. Cilissa is loyal to Orestes and Agamemnon, and resents Clytamnestra's treacheries. Without her, Orestes might not have succeeded in his plan.
- Orestes: Orestes is the son of Clytamnestra and Agamemnon and the brother of Electra. The protagonist of The Libation Bearers, Orestes spends the course of the play preparing to avenge his father's murder. At the end of the play, he carries out this vengeance by killing Aigisthos and Clytamnestra. Orestes is intelligent and determined, just like his mother. He is well spoken and quick to do whatever is necessary to do justice to his father's memory, even though he knows that he will have to face the consequences.
- Pylades: A companion to Orestes, Pylades is present for much of the play although he does not speak a word until the climax of the action. He is a representative of and the mouthpiece for Apollo. His only lines come at the moment when Orestes hesitates to kill Clytamnestra. Pylades reminds him of his duties to Apollo, saying that one should rather make enemies of all men than anger the gods. After saying these words, Pylades becomes silent once more.
- Electra: Orestes' older sister, Electra cared for him as a child and loves him dearly. Since her father Agamemnon's death, she has been treated like a slave in the palace, and tells Orestes also that Clytamnestra is about to marry her off in order to break her bond with the house. Like most Greek woman, Electra was totally under the power of her father until she was married, at which point she joined her husband's household and was no longer considered part of her original family. Electra is fiercely devoted to her father's memory. She loathes her mother and is quick to transfer all of her love to Orestes when he reappears. After going into the palace in silence at Orestes' command, she does not reappear again in the play.
- Chorus: Every Greek tragedy had a chorus, although each one was made up of a different body of people. In The Libation Bearers, the chorus is made up of slave women from the palace. They represent the common interests and ideals of society and frequently comment on the action in highly lyrical odes. The chorus of this play differs from those of other famous tragedies in that it influences the course of events by telling characters what to do. From the beginning of the play, when it tells Electra how and for what she should pray to the gods and her father's ghost, the chorus shows itself to be willing to intervene in the action in order to bring about the desired results. Their most significant act comes when they tell Orestes' nurse, Cilissa, to alter Clytamnestra's message to Aigisthos. Whereas the queen had told Aigisthos to come with his bodyguards, the chorus commands that Cilissa instruct him to come alone. By doing this, they ensure Orestes's victory. They are certain that Orestes is the agent of Justice and they will do anything in their power to help him.
- Furies: The ancient spirits of vengeance, the Furies ensure that no blood crime goes unpunished. They inflict horrible diseases and torment upon those who thwart their laws. Towards the beginning of the play, Orestes tells us how Apollo warned that the Furies would come after him if he failed to avenge Agamemnon's death. Although Orestes obeys and carries out their commands, the Furies do not favor him because of it, but rather come after him at the end of the play after he has committed matricide. The Furies do not play favorites and do not care if their laws tear society apart. In the Eumenides, Athena will negotiate a truce wherein the Furies cede the rights to judge crimes of murder to the law courts of Athens. By doing so, she harnesses and weakens their power.
Quotes edit
-
“They killed an honored man by cunning, so they die by cunning, caught in the same noose. (lines 556–558)”
Orestes speaks these words as he begins to outline his plan for killing Aigisthos. -
“But you, when your turn in the action comes, be strong. When she cries 'Son!' cry out 'My father's son!' Go through with the murder—innocent at last. (lines 827–830)”
The chorus speaks these words in their last ode before the climax of the play. -
“Wait, my son—no respect for this, my child? The breast you held, drowsing away the hours, soft gums tugging the milk that made you grow? (lines 896–898)”
Clytamnestra says these words as Orestes is dragging her towards the body of Aigisthos in order to murder her alongside her lover. -
“Such oracles are persuasive, don't you think? And even if I am not convinced, the rough work of the world is still to do. So many yearnings meet and urge me on (lines 297–299)”
This passage comes at the end of Orestes's explanation for why he has returned again to Argos. -
“For word of hate let word of hate be said, cries Justice. Stroke for bloody stroke must be paid. The one who acts must suffer. Three generations long this law resounds. (lines 311–314)”
The chorus says these words at the end of their first section in the kommos.
Themes & Symbolism edit
- The conflict between new and old gods: At the beginning of The Libation Bearers there is no contradiction between the will of the Furies and the will of Apollo, but by the end of the play we see that a split is developing between these two orders of gods. The Furies represent th e ancient, primitive laws, and demand that blood must always be paid for with blood. Apollo compels Orestes to avenge his father, but then suggests that the cycle of violence will end, as he will not have to die in recompense for his crime. In the Eumenides, this theme is fully developed, as the Furies are tamed and relegated to a far less powerful position in society. It is also significant that that Furies are female deities, while Apollo is masculine, thus equating civilization and progress with male influences. In order for society to prosper, the female powers must be subdued.
- The difficult nature of inheritance: The Oresteia teaches us that, while we cannot choose how we are born, we can choose how to approach that birthright. In returning to Argos to pursue a terrible quest, Orestes shows himself to be a noble character. He does not flee from destiny , but calls upon his father's spirit and his mother's resolve in order to do what must be done. As the only son of a murdered father, Orestes is fated to avenge his death. He approaches this fate with sophistication and grace, never wavering in his convic tion that he is doing the right thing, but also never sinking to the point of reveling in the slaughter. Towards the beginning of the play, Orestes states that he has returned to Argos in order to claim his inheritance. By this he means the kingdom that i s rightfully his. However, implicit in this statement is the idea that he must claim his share in the destructive bloodshed that has plagued the house for generations. Clytamnestra had sent him away as a child so that he might escape this fate. But, in order to claim his inheritance and become a man, Orestes must return to the origin of his misery and confront it head on.
- The cyclical nature of blood crimes: The ancient law of the Furies mandates that blood must be paid for with blood in an unending cycle of doom. The chorus states this fact several times throughout the play, most clearly in the first section of the kommos,which is discussed i n the quotes section of this SparkNote. Vengeance is just, they say, and it has been the law of the house for generations. In its opening lines, the chorus describes how " lt;t gt;he blood that Mother Earth consumes clots hard, it won't seep through, it breeds revenge and frenzy goes through the guilty" (lines 67–70). Nothing else can wash away a bloodstain but more blood, which in turn requires more blood in order to be cleansed. The chorus offers no solution to this dire situation of violence breeding m ore violence. They merely state it as the natural law and do what is in their power to help Orestes fulfill his role in the divine plan. However, over the course of The Libation Bearers, we get the sense that this time, things will be different . Apollo has promised Orestes that he will not suffer for his crime, and we know that a god is unlikely to go back on his word. The Oresteia as a whole is Aeschylus's way of saying, "the buck stops here." Man cannot hope to build a progressive civilization if he is steeped in a perpetual bloodbath. A way out must be found, a new, more civilized law.
- The lack of clarity between right and wrong: At times, one may find Aeschylus rather overwhelming in his complexity. However, it is this complexity that compels us to return to him again and again. One of the manifestations of this complexity is that there are no clear good guys or bad guys, but rat her men and women who are faced with impossible choices. Agamemnon, Clytamnestra, and Orestes are all caught between a rock and a hard place, which we may find to be tragically unfair. Aeschylus is telling us that life is unfair, and that we must develop systems for ourselves so that we can cope with the difficult decisions we will inevitably face.Orestes's particular situation pits his filial duties to Agamemnon against his filial duties to Clytamnestra. If he does not murder Clytamnestra, the Furies will pursue him. But even when he does murder her, the Furies still pursue him. There is no completely right or wrong answer, Aeschylus tells us, but there are better and worse choices. Since Apollo has thrown his weight behind the path of vengeance, Orestes chooses to comply with his commands. In fulfilling his duty towards Apollo and his fat her, Orestes condemns himself to suffering. He chooses to make this sacrifice, however, in order to preserve the laws of society.
- Light and Dark: As this play chronicles the transition of society from its dark and primitive origins to its new civilized and illuminated state, it is natural that the motif of light and dark should occur throughout the play. The house of Atreus has sat under a dark clo ud for many generations, beset by misery and bloody murder again and again. However, as the chorus joyously states, Orestes will be a savior and bring light back into their lives. He is able to do this because he is backed by Apollo, who is th e god of the sun and all things associated with illumination, including civilization itself. The Furies on the other hand, are associated with death and everything else that lurks beneath the ground. They wear black and are able to drag people down in to madness, which is also associated with darkness. Under their law, no light ever shines through the clouds, as the blood must continually flow. In order to break free of its dark and bloody past, the house must also sever ties with the Furies that have lurked around it for so long.
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 808
Subjects edit
Popular Tags
We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.
