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The Oresteia (-458) by Aeschylus (525bc-456bc) and translated by E.D.A. Morshead is a trilogy of ancient Greek plays including:<br><br>– AGAMEMNON<br>– THE CHOEPHORI (THE LIBATION BEARERS)<br>– EUMENIDES<br><br>This digital edition is beautifully formatted with an active Table of Contents that goes directly to each play. Mermaids Classics, an imprint of Mermaids Publishing brings the very best of old book classics to a modern era of digital reading by producing high quality books in ebook format.

The importance of Aeschylus in the development of drama cannot be overstated. Before him tragedy had consisted of the chorus and one actor; and by introducing a second actor, expanding the dramatic dialogue, and reducing the lyrical parts, he practically created Greek tragedy as we know it. Like other writers of his time, he acted in his own plays, and trained the chorus in their dances and songs; and did much to improve the performances by his development of scene and costume on the stage. “The Oresteia” is Aeschylus most famous work, a trilogy of dramas that includes “Agamemnon,” “The Libation Bearers,” and “The Eumenides.” In the first work of the trilogy, Agamemnon, King of Argos, is returning home from the Trojan War. Clytemnestra, his wife, awaits his return by planning his murder. She is angry for the murder of their first born daughter, Iphigenia, which Agamemnon has sacrificed in order to appease the goddess Artemis. The second drama, “The Libation Bearers,” is concerned with the revenge by Agamemnon’s children, Electra and Orestes, against Clytemnestra, for the murder of their father. The final play in the trilogy, “The Eumenides,” details the trial of Orestes for the murder of his mother. This collection of dramas brilliantly deals with the themes of revenge and justice and stands to this day as one of the most important collection of works from classical antiquity. This edition includes an introduction by Theodore Alois Buckley and follows the verse translations of E. D. A. Morshead.

The importance of ?schylus in the development of the drama is immense. Before him tragedy had consisted of the chorus and one actor; and by introducing a second actor, expanding the dramatic dialogue thus made possible, and reducing the lyrical parts, he practically created Greek tragedy as we understand it. Like other writers of his time, he acted in his own plays, and trained the chorus in their dances and songs; and he did much to give impressiveness to the performances by his development of the accessories of scene and costume on the stage. «The Oresteia» is one of the supreme productions of all literature. It deals with the two great themes of the retribution of crime and the inheritance of evil; and here again a parallel may be found between the assertions of the justice of God by ?schylus and by the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel. Both contend against the popular idea that the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge; both maintain that the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The nobility of thought and the majesty of style with which these ideas are set forth give this triple drama its place at the head of the literary masterpieces of the antique world.

Perhaps the greatest of the Greek tragedians, Aeschylus wrote 90 plays, but only seven have survived complete. Among them is this classic trilogy dealing with the bloody history of the House of Atreus.In Agamemnon, the warrior who defeated Troy returns to Argos and is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia before the start of the Trojan War. In The Libation-Bearers, Orestes, Agamemnon&#8217;s son, avenges his father by murdering his mother. In The Furies, Orestes flees to Delphi, pursued by the divine avengers (Erinyes) of his mother. After being purified by Apollo, he makes his way to Athens and is there tried (and acquitted) at the court of Areopagus.Written in a grand style, rich in diction and dramatic dialogue, the plays embody Aeschylus&#8217; concerns with the destiny and fate of individuals as well as the state, all played out under the watchful eye of the gods. Still powerful and provocative after 2,500 years, these great tragedies offer unparalleled insight into the world of ancient Greece and the origins of the Western dramatic tradition.