The Orestia; Summary.

THE ORESTIA: SUMMARY

1) A generation before the trojan horse, two brothers, Atreus and Thyestes contended for the throne of Argos. Thyestes seduced his brothers wife, and was driven out of Argos by Atreus, who then established himself as the sole ruler. 

 2) Eventually, Thyestes returned and asked to be forgiven. Atreus pretends to forgive him, but secretly plans on the revenge for the seduction of his wife, and at the same time eliminate his competition for the throne, by proving his brother unclean and unworthy in the eyes of the citizens of Argos. 

3)  Atreus murders Thyeste's two sons, and chopping up their bodies, he serves them to his unknowing brother as a banquet, given in honor of his return. Thyestes is horrified when he learns what he's dined on. He curses his brother and all his descendants and flees from Argos, with his only remaining son, the infant Aegisthus. 

4) Atreus dies, and his thrown is inherited by Agamemnon, who marries Clytaemestra, daughter of the king of Sparta. Their children are Iphigenia, Electra and Orestes. Atreus other child Menelaus marries Helen, sister of Clytaemestra, and became king of Sparta when her father died. 

5) Most of the Greek chieftains had also been suitors to Helen, and they had made a pact to respect her choice and come to her husbands aid if anyone attempted to steal Helen from him. Sometime after Helen and Menelaus were married, Paris of Troy seduces Helen and carries her back with him to Troy. Faithful to their pact, the chiefs rally their troops and a great force was created to restore Helen to her rightful husband. 

6) Agamemnon, son of Atreus was made commander of this fleet. 

7) The expedition assembled at Aulis, but was unable to set sail due to horrific stormy weather. Calchas, a sooth sayer accompanying the army declares that the goddes Artemis was responsible and could only be appeased by sacrificing Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. 

8) Agamemnon was appalled at first, but eventually gave into the peer pressure from the other chiefs, and asked Clytaemestra to send their daughter to Aulis so she could marry Achilles, the greatest of the Greek gods. When she arrives, she was sacrificed and the winds immediately changed, so they set sail for Troy. 

9) Meanwhile, Aegisthus, the surviving son of Thyestes returns to Argos while Agamemnon leads the force to Helen. He begins plotting against his cousin in the hope of regaining the throne he considers rightfully his, as well as avenging his brothers and father.

10) Aegisthus discovers that since the sacrifice of her daughter, Clytaemestra developed a bitter hatred for her husband. This only grew with reports of his infidelity while he was leading the fleet. Aegisthus and Clytaemestra soon become lovers and conspire to kill Agamemnon on his return. 

11) The siege of Troy lasted ten years. Finally the city fell; The first past of the trilogy, 'Agamemnon', takes place in Argos shortly after the fall of Troy. 

12) Agamemnon returns with one ship after the rest were scattered in a storm at sea. he is accompanied by his most recent lover, Cassandra, daughter of the king of Troy. 

13) Aegisthus remains in the background while Clytaemestra gives her husband a warm welcome home. Later, she traps him in the bath and kills him with an axe. Cassandra is also murdered. Aegisthus and Clytaemestra become the new rulers. 

14) Part two of the trilogy: The Choephori. This takes place a few years later. Orestes, son of Agamemnon, was living in exile. The god Apollo tells him to avenge his father. He seeks out his sister Electra, disguises himself and murders Clytaemestra and Aegisthus. Orestes tries to justify the murder, but in the final scene he is plagued with madness and flees in terror from the Furies; hideous spirits who hunt down and punish murderers. 

15) The last play of the trilogy, begins a few days later. Orestes seeks refuge in the sanctuary of Apollo. He is forced to wander as an outcast the next few years with the furies constantly tormenting him. 

16)  Finally, he arrives at Athens, and throws himself at the mercy of the goddess Athene. The Furies follow him and insist he must be punished for matricide. He claims he acts by Apollo's orders and therefore can't be held responsible. 

17) Athene convenes a special court to hear the case, but the jurors are unable to reach a verdict. Athene casts a deciding vote and Orestes is acquitted. The Furies angrily swear vengeance on Athena, but she calms them by offering them a position of honor in the cult of her city, which they accept. The ancient Furies are transformed in benevolent spirits and their names are changed to the Eumenides, of "kindly ones" to symbolise their new characters.