Aeschylus’ EumenidesClosure at Last?

Temple of Apollo, Delphi (A. Scholtz)

SUCCESSION MYTH

Ouranos (sky) sexually smothers Gaia (Earth)

Kronos (Titan) castrates father Ouranos, eats his own children

(Olympian gods).

Zeus (Olympian) overthrows Kronos, forces regurgitation of

other Olympians, ruklkes universe.

Agenda

• Tragedy in Performance• Clytaemnestra, Furies, pp. 236–238

• Recap & Update• From Darkness to Light

• Discussion• Is Eumenides Tragedy?

Tragedy in Performance

Clytaemnestra, Furies, pp. 236–238

Recap & Update

From Darkness to Light

Greece

Turkey(Asia Minor)

Athens

Argos

Sparta

Troy

AulisDelphi

Acropolis as seen from Areopagus, Athens (A. Scholtz)

Prologue 232 ff.• Pythia, Apollo, Orestes,

Clytaemnestra, Furies1st parodos 237 f.• Furies mad for the hunt1st episode 238 ff.• Apollo, Leader – angry exchange2nd parodos 242 f.• Track Orestes to Athens!2nd episode 243 ff.• Orestes, Leader1st stasimon 245 ff.• Binding song3rd episode 248 ff.• Athena, Leader, Orestes2nd stasimon 253 ff.• “Furious” justice

4th episode 255 ff.• Agon (trial). Ath, Apollo, Leader,

OrestesLyric agon 266 ff.• Athena speaking• Chorus singing5th episode 270 ff.• Athena, LeaderBlessing song 272 ff.• Athena chanting• Chorus singingSpoken transition 276• AthenaLyric exodos 276 f.• Chorus of Athena’s cult personnel• Closing triumphal parade

Eumenides: Analysis

Athena

Fury

FuryApollo

Orestes

Orestes at Delphi,Athens

OresteiaDramatic Planes

“There-and-Then”mythiccosmic

“Here-and-Now”topicalpolitical

Political-Judicial Context461 Areopagus depoliticized, radical democracy

strengthened, Ephialtes murdered458 Oresteia produced.

Oresteia:Structural Oppositions, Progressions

verbalambiguous

humanold

darkearth

femaleviolence

strifearistocracy

revengeErinyes (Furies)

visualcleardivinenewlightskymalepersuasionharmonydemocracyjudicial processSemnai (Revered Ones)

dramatic

thematic

ATHENA:“I send you home, home to the core of Earth,escorted by these friends who guard my idol

….”· · · · ·

“Girls and mothers,trains of aged women grave in movement,dress our Furies now in blood-red robes.”

(p. 276)

Apollo’s Slam-Dunk?

“Here is the truth, I tell you—see how right I am. | The woman you call the mother of the child | is not the parent, just a nurse to the seed”

Mother and child, archaic Greek sculpture, Naucratis

Oresteia: Aristotelian Analysis. . .

• Anagnorisis (recognition)?• Peripeteia (reversal)?• Desis (complication)? Lusis (resolution)?• Pity, fear?

• for?...

• Catharsis?

Discussion

Is Eumenides Tragedy?

Is Eumenides tragedy? Is Oresteia tragedy? What is tragedy?