Eumenides

Orestes being purified by Apollo
(Eumenides Painter, about 380 BC)

This is the third of a cycle of three plays written by the Greek playwright Aeschylus. When Orestes kills his mother, Clytemnestra, the Furies (the Eumenides: you-MEN-ih-dees) attack him because he has done such a terrible thing. You might say he begins to go crazy with the horror of what he has done. But the goddess Athena steps in and says that the Furies will not decide this case. Instead, it will be tried in a court of law, and the men of Athens will be the jury.
The court meets, and each side presents their arguments: was it better to let his father go unavenged, or to kill his mother? The god Apollo speaks to defend Orestes, and the Furies speak against him.
The jury deadlocks, half on each side, but Athena casts the deciding vote that lets Orestes go free.

To find out more about the Eumenides, or to read it for yourself, check out these books on Amazon.com or in your local library:

Greek Theatre, by Stewart Ross (1999). For kids.

Greek and Roman Theater, by Don Nardo. For teenagers.

The Oresteia, by Aeschylus, translated by Robert Fagles (Penguin Classics). The most famous of the plays Aeschylus wrote. Fagles is a great translator! Includes a version for performance.

Aeschylus, by John Herington (1986). A discussion by a specialist about the life of Aeschylus and why his plays are written the way they are.

Greek Tragedy: A Literary Study, by H. D. F. Kitto (reprinted 2002). A classic discussion of the meaning of Greek tragic plays, by a specialist.

Aeschylus
Iphigeneia
Agamemnon
Libation Bearers
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