One of the founding documents of Western culture and the only surviving ancient Greek trilogy, the Oresteia of Aeschylus is one of the great tragedies of all time.In the Oresteia, Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of...

"The Seven Against Thebes" is a tragedy play by Aeschylus, one of the greatest ancient Greek playwrights. It was first performed in 467 BC at the City Dionysia festival in Athens.The play tells the story of two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, who are fighting for the throne of Thebes. Eteocles has the support of the city and the army, while Polyneices has been exiled and seeks to return with a force of seven champions to take the throne.The seven champions, known as the "Seven Against T...

"The Persians" is a tragedy written by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus in 472 BCE. The play tells the story of the Persian defeat in the Battle of Salamis, which took place in 480 BCE during the Greco-Persian Wars.The play is notable for its depiction of the Persian perspective on the war, as opposed to the Greek perspective that is more commonly seen in historical accounts. The play focuses on the aftermath of the battle, as the Persian queen Atossa mourns the loss of her son, the ...

Agamemnon is a Greek tragedy written by Aeschylus, one of the most famous playwrights of ancient Greece. It was first performed in Athens in 458 BC as part of a trilogy of plays called the Oresteia, which also includes the plays The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides.The play is set after the Trojan War and follows the story of Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, and his family. Agamemnon returns home after ten years of war in Troy, accompanied by his concubine, Cassandra, a Trojan princess wh...

The book includes notable tragedies such as Aeschylus's Agamemnon and Prometheus Bound, Sophocles's Oedipus Rex and Antigone, and Euripides's Medea and The Bacchae. Each play showcases the playwrights' mastery of dramatic structure, character development, and philosophical inquiry into human nature, fate, and morality. The tragic narratives often revolve around intense personal and societal conflicts, exploring themes such as the struggle against divine authority, the consequences of hubri...

Agamemnon: This is the first play in the Oresteia trilogy, focusing on the return of King Agamemnon from the Trojan War. His homecoming is marred by betrayal, as his wife, Clytemnestra, seeks revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia. The play delves into themes of vengeance, guilt, and the consequences of moral choices, setting the stage for the tragic events that follow.The Libation Bearers: The second play in the trilogy continues the story of the House of Atreus, focusing ...

"Prometheus Bound" is a play written by the ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus, which tells the story of the Titan Prometheus, who defies the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity. As punishment for this act of rebellion, Zeus orders that Prometheus be bound to a rock and left to suffer eternally.The play consists mainly of a dialogue between Prometheus and various other characters, including the chorus of Oceanids, Hermes (the messenger of the gods), and Io (a mortal woman who ha...

This collection contains the following works:Euripides: MedeaSophocles: AntigoneAeschylus: AgamemnonAeschylus: EumenidesAeschylus: The ChoephoriWilliam Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of VeniceWilliam Shakespeare: Romeo And JulietWilliam Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of DenmarkWilliam Shakespeare: The Tragedy of MacbethWilliam Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare: King L...

Prometheus Bound is a tragic play that tells the story of Prometheus, the Titan who defied the gods by stealing fire from Zeus and giving it to humanity. As punishment for his rebellion, Prometheus is bound to a rock, where an eagle perpetually feeds on his liver, which regenerates each night. The play delves into themes of suffering, defiance, and the struggle for human enlightenment. Prometheus stands as a symbol of resistance against tyranny, embodying the tension between divine authori...

Agamemnon: The first play introduces King Agamemnon's return to Argos after the Trojan War. His homecoming is fraught with tension, as his wife, Clytemnestra, harbors a deep desire for revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia. As Agamemnon arrives, he is met with a mixture of triumph and doom. Clytemnestra’s plotting culminates in the tragic murder of Agamemnon, setting off a chain of vengeance that plagues their family.The Libation Bearers: The second play follows the afterm...

"The Eumenides" is a play by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, and it is the third and final play in his trilogy "The Oresteia." The play was first performed in Athens in 458 BC and it is considered one of the great masterpieces of Greek tragedy.The Eumenides tells the story of Orestes, son of Agamemnon, who killed his mother Clytemnestra to avenge his father's murder. Orestes is pursued by the Furies, ancient goddesses of revenge, who seek to punish him for his crime. However, with ...

The play opens with a watchman on the roof of Agamemnon's palace in Argos, who eagerly anticipates the signal of the fall of Troy, which will herald the king’s return. When Agamemnon finally arrives, he brings with him the captured Trojan princess Cassandra, who is cursed with the gift of prophecy that no one will believe. This sets the stage for the unfolding tragedy as the audience is aware of the impending doom that awaits Agamemnon.Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, greets him with feigne...