The Libation Bearers takes off from the ending of Agamemnon where we follow Orestes who's out for one thing and one thing only: revenge. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Agamemnon appears in, ...Orestes, observing them, notices his sister and prays to the gods to let him avenge, ...their own plight with that of Electra, who silently and secretly mourns for the betrayed, Electra praises the Chorus, thanking them for accompanying her to, ...ask the dead and Mother Earth to hear her plea. Orestes is intelligent and determined, just like his mother. STUDY. The curse of the Atreides This scene is unusually short because the first part of the prologue is missing in ancient manuscripts of the play. Orestes who had been absent during the murder of his… The chorus of elders from Argos in the Agamemnon are, with the exception of the mute jury in the Eumenides, the most democratic body presented on stage; they are also weak and ineffective, kowtowing to Clytemnestra when they should be warning Agamemnon about the terrible things his wife has done and planned in his absence.2 The second chorus on stage, the slave girls from the Libation Bearers… Struggling with distance learning? From the play’s opening moments, Aeschylus makes clear that Agamemnon’s death (which was detailed in Agamemnon, Aeschylus’s previous play in the Oresteia trilogy) still dominates the minds of his characters, and influences their actions. In the distance between the two, humankind continues to suffer. AESCHYLUS, LIBATION BEARERS. The Oresteia Trilogy: Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers and The Furies - Ebook written by Aeschylus. Because she refuses to offer a false prayer. Despite her confident assertion that no more blood would be shed, Clytaemestra is beginning to realize that she will have to pay for her crime. The first of the three plays, Agamemnon, casts a harsh light on blood justice and blood guilt. But she who plotted this horror against her husband, she carried his children, growing in her womb and she—I loved her once and now I loathe, I have to loathe—what is she? It appears that the cycle of violence and murder will go on forever unless an acceptable moral solution is found. Click to see full answer. Libation Bearers. Protagonist of The Libation Bearers. Some moray eel, some viper born to rot her mate with a single touch, no fang to strike him just the wrong, the reckless fury in her heart! bookmarked pages associated with this title. The last of the Oresteia trilogy The Libation Bearers is indeed a play of retribution. Clytaemestra believes that libations at the tomb will protect her from retribution, but, the chorus say, nothing can wash away the blood-guilt of a murder; all such crimes inevitably are punished. When the play opens, Agamemnon has been murdered by his wife, Orestes' mother, with help from her lover Aegisthus. The first choral ode establishes the moral and emotional background of the play by renewing the oppressive, pessimistic mood in which Agamemnon concluded. First Episode (Lines 83-304). The changing role of the chorus is interesting in itself: it seems to be inverted relative to the evolution of the plays. Abusive Parents: Electra and Orestes see Clytemnestra as this. Removing #book# LitCharts Teacher Editions. Agamemnon was murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus in Agamemnon, Aeschylus’s play preceding The Libation Bearers. Both the Leader and Orestes praise, ...spirit offerings, prayers, and honor. Previous Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The Chorus turns to Clytemnestra in particular, remembering how she overcame, ...side of justice. They sing of Orestes’ triumph, and of the cleansing of, ...that they die together. This description of the female chorus in The Libation Bearers, shows the idea of Argos being in turmoil after the death of Agamemnon, represented by their ragged and ruined appearance. Calling Orestes an orphan, they remind Zeus of how much he loved, ...a mother’s curse on his head if he kills her. Agamemnon: Second Stasimon (Lines 367-480), Agamemnon: Second Episode (Lines 481-685), Agamemnon: Third Stasimon (Lines 686-773), Agamemnon: Fourth Stasimon (Lines 966-1018), Agamemnon: Fourth Episode (Lines 1019-1410), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Prologue (Lines 1-21), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Parodos (Lines 22-82), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: First Episode (Lines 83-304), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: First Stasimon (Lines 305-476), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Second Episode (Lines 477-582), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Second Stasimon (Lines 583-648), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Third Episode (Lines 649-778), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Third Stasimon (Lines 779-836), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Fourth Episode (Lines 837-933), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Fourth Stasimon (Lines 934-970), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: Exodos (Lines 971-1074), The Eumenides: First Episode (Lines 64-142), The Eumenides: First Stasimon (Lines 143-178), The Eumenides: Second Episode (Lines 179-243), The Eumenides: Second Episode, Continued (Lines 276-306), The Eumenides: Second Stasimon (Lines 307-395), The Eumenides: Third Episode (Lines 396-489), The Eumenides: Third Stasimon (Lines 490-565), The Eumenides: Fourth Episode (Lines 566-776), The Eumenides: Fourth Stasimon (Lines 777-792), The Eumenides: Fifth Episode and Exodos (Lines 793-1047), The Choephori, or The Libation Bearers: The Oresteia: Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, the Eumenides The fire of the Furies is Promethean. Prometheus Bound. Wants justice for his father. He's out for blood against his mother and Aegisthus. On their way to Troy, Agamemnon and Menaleus see an omen that bodes ill. Two eagles swoop down upon a pregnant hare and tear her to shreds. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The king of Argos, husband of Clytemnestra, and father of Orestes, Electra, and Iphigenia. The Libation Bearers provides examples of: 0% Approval Rating: None of the slaves and other people in the household are big fans of the current ruler, on account of them murdering Agamemnon. Orestes laments the fact that his father was murdered by his own wife – and Orestes's own mother. While the eagle is mentioned only once in The Libation Bearers, it is an important symbol in the context of the whole myth. The eagles represent the warrior kings, and the hare represents Troy. There is a a jarring shift in tone and characterizations in the final act, concluding with contrived, "happily-ever-after" ending. She adds that she killed, ...mourning with justice and vengeance. Of the 76 plays he is known to have written only seven survive--1. The Libation Bearers, the middle play of the trilogy, centres on the tomb of the dead Agamemnon and his surviving daughter, Electra. Libation Bearers. Jealous because mom chose Aegisthus over Agamemnon and HIM. He then displays the same robes that Clytemnestra used to entangle, ...He states that he killed Clytemnestra because Apollo ordered him to, and because she killed, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Dear god, let me avenge my father’s murder—fight beside me now with all your might! Companion to Orestes, present for much of the play but does not speak a word until the climax of the action. In The Libation Bearers, they are slaves, and in The Eumenides, they are a fantastical, angry group of furries called the Erinyes. Although Orestes doesn't say his mother's name, the play's original Greek audience would have known it already: Clytemnestra. Orestes' sister Electra comes to the tomb to perform the rite for the dead father. The chorus of elders from Argos in the Agamemnon are, with the exception of the mute jury in the Eumenides, the most democratic body presented on stage; they are also weak and ineffective, kowtowing to Clytemnestra when they should be warning Agamemnon about the terrible things his wife has done and planned in his absence.2 The second chorus on stage, the slave girls from the Libation Bearers, … The pair has taken over the city Argos. In the first two parts of the trilogy, Aeschylus genders the conflict as one of female usurpers (Aegisthus is characterized as being feminine, because Clytaemestra is clearly the dominant partner) versus male rightful authority, embodied first in Agamemnon and then in Orestes. Agamemnon was the leader of the Greeks during the Trojan War, and the brother of Menelaus, who started the war to retrieve his wife Helen. He also bears the burden of being responsible for the House of Atreus's continued survival. Son of Clytamnestra and Agamemnon and brother of Electra. She disowned him & sent him away (lines 132-134). The libation bearers who have come to pour the libations on the tomb also accompany her. He goes up to the tomb of his dead father, Agamemnon, the former king of Argos. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Penguin Books edition of. Clytemnestra recognises the fact that it is destiny which drives her actions; “Fate had a role to play in this,” (Libation Bearers 1039). LIBATION BEARERS Years have passed between the close of Agamemnon and the opening of Libation Bearers, the second play in the Oresteia trilogy. The women of the chorus are captives, but their bitterness and desire for revenge against the murderers seem more intense than that of Orestes and Electra This is because they are symbolic spokespeople for the primitive and absolute moral law that is responsible for the moral dilemma in the trilogy — blood must be paid for with more blood, or, in the words of the Old Testament, "an eye for an eye.". AESCHYLUS was a Greek tragedian who flourished in Athens in the early C5th B.C. Seven Against Thebes, 3. In the lost portion, Orestes probably told about Apollo's command to avenge Agamemnon since from the outset of the play Orestes seems to regard the … For our enemies I say, raise up your avenger, into the light, my father— kill the killers in return, with justice! Clytemnestra: Watch out—the hounds of a mother’s curse will hunt you down. (including. Essays for Libation Bearers. Zeus is with Might AND Justice here (lines 244-245)--not in Prometheus. Orestes is the tragic hero of The Libation Bearers and Eumenides, the final play in the Oresteia cycle. Agamemnon’s children, Orestes and Electra, have grown up with their mother Clytemnestra and their stepfather Aegisthus. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. Libation Bearers literature essays are academic essays for citation. The protagonist of The Libation Bearers, Orestes spends the course of the play preparing to avenge his father's murder. The way the content is organized. On their way to Troy, Agamemnon and Menaleus see an omen that bodes ill. Two eagles swoop down upon a pregnant hare and tear her to shreds. Last, he prays to his dead father, asking, ...with their feminine wiles. Orestes. He recognizes Orestes because of the scar on his brow and the siblings are reunited. Representative of and mouthpiece of Apollo. What kindness, what prayer can touch my father? While the eagle is mentioned only once in The Libation Bearers, it is an important symbol in the context of the whole myth. The story of Agamemnon and Orestes hinges on the balance of justice and vengeance. The Eumenides begins energetically, but weakens as it progresses. Orestes is the son of Clytamnestra and Agamemnon and the brother of Electra. All rights reserved. The eagles represent the warrior kings, and the hare represents Troy. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Because Agamemnon will be saddened by such prayers. Because Aigisthos would be jealous if he knew that Clytamnestra still loved Agamemnon. 4. They rage against the ones who took their lives…. Marshall also makes attractive suggestions regarding the extensive role of mirroring in Libation Bearers, including that the visual representation of the nostos of Orestes evokes that of Agamemnon in the first play; perhaps more convincingly, that the entrance of the chorus of servant women in the beginning of the play mirrors the entrance of the women carrying the fabrics in the Agamemnon’s … Shall I say I bring him love for love, a woman’s love for her husband? Also the chorus being made up of women could represent the reversal of male dominant leadership, and the grotesque description of the chorus members can be seen as the negative feelings associated with this … Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Oresteia Trilogy: Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers and The Furies. In Agamemnon, vice was alluring. Instant downloads of all 1441 LitChart PDFs Despite her confident assertion that no more blood would be shed, Clytaemestra is beginning to realize that she will have to pay for her crime. Growing more incensed, the two remember the plot that doomed, Before leaving, Orestes wonders why Clytemnestra sent libations to, ...orders the Chorus to keep his secret. The first choral ode establishes the moral and emotional background of the play by renewing the oppressive, pessimistic mood in which Agamemnon concluded. Prologue (Lines 1-21), Next Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. As was common in many of the competitions, there was also a satyr play, the lost … The Oresteia Trilogy ( Agamemnon, Libation Bearers or Choephori and The Eumenides ), 7. Orestes cuts off two braids from his hair. Orestes, meanwhile, immediately establishes his identity as a pious, faithful son who honors both the gods and his father. It opens at the tomb of Agamemnon. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Libation Bearers. I’ve no taste for that, no words to say as I run the honeyed oil on father’s tomb. You light to my eyes, four loves in one! Electra describes how her mother treats her little better than a slave, and Orestes is furious about being sent away and essentially exiled to give Clytemnestra the opportunity to kill Agamemnon. Summary of Oresteia. Chorus Metamorphosis (The Chorus of the Oresteia) An Examination of Imagery … As a son of a royal family, he has a … Orestes' motives (Lattimore 85) Outrage over loss of inheritance. Instead, he is doing it out of a deep sense of obligation to his father; basically, he is doing it out of a sense of justice. To learn more about the historical background and the characters of Agamemnon, Libation Bearers and Eumenides, and to read a scene-by-scene summary of these plays in addition to play-specific analyses, please consult the articles of the individual plays.. Agamemnon Agamemnon is set in front of the palace of Argos.At the beginning of the play, a Watcher notices a … Orestes, it will be seen, is not eager to kill his mother, but Apollo has commanded it, and he will do his duty. An interesting technical point here is that the details of Clytaemestra's dream are withheld until later in the play, where they will have more dramatic effect. So in the midst of prayers for good I place this curse for them. from your Reading List will also remove any Suppliant Women, 4 - 6. My mother, love from her? © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The Libation Bearers is a play by Aeschylus that was first performed in 458 BC. Vengeance for Agamemnon's death. The plot is relatively simple but it's the macabre dread and imagery provided by the Chorus that elevates a simple revenge into a very consumi Short but very sweet. I have to call you father, it is fate; and I turn to you the love I gave my mother— I despise her, she deserves it, yes, and the love I gave my sister, sacrificed on the cruel sword, I turn to you. Because she is incapable of using the right words for this powerful love. Parodos (Lines 22-82), Agamemnon, The Choephori, and The Eumenides. and any corresponding bookmarks? Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers are riveting plays, with multi-dimensional characters, strong emotions, and bloody violence. She asks the spirit of, ...Chorus to add their prayers to hers. Teachers and parents! At the end of the play, he carries out this vengeance by killing Aigisthos and Clytamnestra. In the first play, the chorus were the elders of the city. Orestes feels a deep loyalty to his family. His translation of Agamemnon appeared separately in 2016, says Mulroy, because it is often read and taught independently as an exemplar of of Greek tragedy, but the other two plays in Aeschylus' Orestieia tell a larger story in which Athena, not Orestes, is the hero.