Study Questions for Aeschylus' Oresteia

Click here for a family tree of the House of Atreus.

Agamemnon

• What is the watchman worried about at the beginning of the play?
• How does the chorus react to events leading up to the Trojan War?  How does it react to the news that the war is over?
• What role do the gods play in the Oresteia?
• How does Aeschylus' treatment of Agamemnon compare to Homer's?
• Can you identify specific passages in the play that comment on the conflict between the sexes?  How does this theme develop through the plays?
• How do the characters in this play define justice?

The Libation Bearers  (Click here for a summary of the Libation Bearers.)

• Is Orestes' behavior similar to or different from Clytemnestra's behavior?
• How does this play change your perception of Clytemnestra?
• How does this play amplify the theme of vengeance as justice?

The Eumenides

• Why is Apollo unable to protect Orestes?
• How does this play address, and attempt to resolve conflicts between men and women?
• How does Athena persuade the Furies to end their desire for vengeance?
• What kind of justice is established at the end of the Oresteia?