Overview
This lecture explores Aeschylus's Oresteia trilogy, highlighting its themes of suffering, truth, family trauma, justice, and psychological transformation.
Core Themes of the Oresteia
- The Oresteia is the only surviving trilogy from classical Greece, written by Aeschylus.
- Central theme: "We suffer into truth"—through suffering, self-awareness, and confronting pain, redemption becomes possible.
- The trilogy intertwines the Trojan War story and the curse on the house of Atreus, representing inherited family trauma.
Plot Summary
- Agamemnon (Part 1): Agamemnon returns from Troy after sacrificing his daughter, symbolizing a loss of empathy and feeling.
- Clytemnestra, his wife, kills Agamemnon as revenge for their daughter’s death.
- Cassandra, cursed with true prophecy no one believes, foretells both her and Agamemnon's deaths.
- The Libation Bearers (Part 2): Orestes, Agamemnon's son, returns from exile to avenge his father by killing his mother Clytemnestra.
- Orestes faces internal conflict but obeys Apollo's rational command, leading to matricide.
- The Eumenides (Part 3): Orestes is haunted by the Furies, goddesses of vengeance, for killing his mother.
- Apollo instructs Orestes to seek trial in Athens, judged by Athena and a jury.
- Orestes is acquitted, and Athena transforms the Furies into protectors, symbolizing societal and psychological integration.
Archetypal & Psychological Interpretation
- The curse of Atreus reflects generational psychic wounds passed through families.
- Agamemnon's sacrifice of his daughter signifies disconnection from emotion and empathy.
- Cassandra's plight highlights the conflict between intuition (prophecy) and rationality (Apollo).
- The transformation of the Furies into the Kindly Ones represents moving from rage to compassion, integrating darkness with reason for wholeness.
- Athena, embodying both male and female aspects, mediates justice and balance.
Societal & Individual Implications
- The trilogy marks a transition from vengeance to justice, from mythic heroism to civic order.
- The gods shift from external deities to internal psychological forces, as per Jungian thought.
- True consciousness is achieved by reconciling opposites and transforming suffering into growth.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Oresteia — Trilogy by Aeschylus portraying the fall and redemption of the house of Atreus.
- Atreus — Mythic ancestor; his family is cursed by violence and betrayal.
- Cassandra — Prophetess cursed so no one believes her.
- Furies — Goddesses of vengeance; become "Kindly Ones" through transformation.
- Apollo — God symbolizing reason and rational thought.
- Athena — Goddess of wisdom and justice; mediator in Orestes’s trial.
- Axial Age — Period of major philosophical development globally (c. 800–200 BCE).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the plot and key themes of each play in the Oresteia.
- Reflect on the transformation of suffering into personal or societal growth.
- Consider psychological interpretations of myth in future readings.