It starts with Tantalus. He is the son of Zeus and a mortal. He thinks he is all that and decides to see if he can play a trick on the gods. So he invites them over to dinner, and then serves them a scrumptious meal that just happens to include Tantalus' own son, Pelops. Since Pelops is the grandson of a god, that's considered cannibalism. The gods realize what has happened--well, all except Demeter, who in some versions takes a bite out of his shoulder. They get mad at Tantalus and sentence him to an afterlife where he will always be thirsty and hungry and never have those desires met. The word "tantalize" comes from Tantalus.
Niobe is Tantalus' daughter, and the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. She starts bragging about how she has seven beautiful sons and daughters, seven times as many as the goddess Leto. Leto is the mother to Apollo and Artemis, and, as a god and a goddess, they are way cooler than Niobe's fourteen children. Besides, it's not good to brag about how much better you are than a supernatural being. All of Niobe's children are killed and Niobe, in her grief, turns to stone.
Pelops famously wins his wife, Hippodamia, in a race, through some trickery too. It's not good Karma to be responsible for the death of your future father-in-law. Also, Pelops might be responsible for the death of Myrtilus.
Pelops and Hippodamia have two children, Thyestes and Atreus.
Atreus tricks his brother, Thyestes, into giving up the throne. Thyestes gets even by sleeping with Atreus' wife, Aerope. Atreus finds out but keeps it quiet for a while. Finally, he makes nice to Thyestes. He invites Thyestes to dinner. At dinner, Atreus serves up Thyestes' two sons.
Thyestes flees in horror. Later, Thyestes sleeps with his own daughter (yuk!), Pelopia, which results in the birth of Aegisthus.
Meanwhile, back on the throne, Atreus and Aerope enjoy their two children--Menelaus and Agamemnon.
Menelaus marries a hot chick named Helen of Troy. Helen runs off with Paris. As a result of his bruised ego, Menelaus convinces his brother that they need to attack Troy. Helen, by the way, is half divine. She is the daughter of Leda, who had been seduced by Zeus, in the form of a swan. She also had a brother but I don''t remember his name at the moment.
Agamemnon marries another one of Leda's daughters, Clytemnestra. Tundareus is her father, which makes Helen and Clytemnestra half-sisters. Both women are big trouble. Clytemnestra is all human, but smart. While Agamemnon is out fighting the Trojans, Clytemnestra has been taking charge of the kingdom. And she likes it.
Clytemnestra gets angry with Agamemnon, because Agamemnon sent for their daughter, Iphigenia. Shortly after he got Iphigenia on his ship, he sacrificed her to the goddess Artemis. He didn't want to do it but the other options were less appealing. Still, it angers Clytemnestra.
Perhaps it's because she is bored, or perhaps it's just her way of getting even, but Clytemnestra invites Aegisthus back home and then starts having a fling with him. Remember, Aegisthus is the son of Uncle Thyestes, the dude who ate his own kids and slept with his own daughter. Aegisthus has an axe to grind, one he'd like to put in Agamemnon's head. Aegisthus, however, is pretty much a wimp--more talk than action. Clytemnestra is much more scary and she pushes Aegisthus around just like she pushes the old men of the kingdom around.
Cassandra is Agamemnon's new girlfriend, another reason that Clytemnestra might be a little angry. Cassandra is the daughter of King Priam. Since Priam lost the war and Agamemnon won, Agamemnon got to keep Cassandra as a prize. This was common. Cassandra is beautiful and gifted. Her greatest gift and curse is her ability to see events she has not witnessed and to predict the future. The problem is, however, that no one believes her. Apollo cursed her in this way because Cassandra would not sleep with him. Gods don't take kindly to not getting their own way.
Besides the sacrificed Iphigenia, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have two other children who will not appear in this play. They do appear in the other two plays that go with this Oresteia trilogy--"The Libation Bearers" and "The Eumenides."
Electra is their daughter. She lives quietly at home.
Orestes, for whom the trilogy is named, is living in exile abroad. This is probably because his mother considers Orestes a threat to her power. Another reason, however, is that she might fear that her boyfriend, Aegisthus, might kill him. Orestes will return in 'The Libation Bearers." At Apollo's command for justice, he will kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus in this play. In "The Eumenides," Orestes will be tried for his crime by a jury of his peers. He will be acquitted "by the law of Athena."
Themes and other things to notice:
Guest/Host relationship
Proper Burial
Tribal (revenge) v. City State (justice)
Reverence for the gods
Furies
Niobe is Tantalus' daughter, and the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. She starts bragging about how she has seven beautiful sons and daughters, seven times as many as the goddess Leto. Leto is the mother to Apollo and Artemis, and, as a god and a goddess, they are way cooler than Niobe's fourteen children. Besides, it's not good to brag about how much better you are than a supernatural being. All of Niobe's children are killed and Niobe, in her grief, turns to stone.
Pelops famously wins his wife, Hippodamia, in a race, through some trickery too. It's not good Karma to be responsible for the death of your future father-in-law. Also, Pelops might be responsible for the death of Myrtilus.
Pelops and Hippodamia have two children, Thyestes and Atreus.
Atreus tricks his brother, Thyestes, into giving up the throne. Thyestes gets even by sleeping with Atreus' wife, Aerope. Atreus finds out but keeps it quiet for a while. Finally, he makes nice to Thyestes. He invites Thyestes to dinner. At dinner, Atreus serves up Thyestes' two sons.
Thyestes flees in horror. Later, Thyestes sleeps with his own daughter (yuk!), Pelopia, which results in the birth of Aegisthus.
Meanwhile, back on the throne, Atreus and Aerope enjoy their two children--Menelaus and Agamemnon.
Menelaus marries a hot chick named Helen of Troy. Helen runs off with Paris. As a result of his bruised ego, Menelaus convinces his brother that they need to attack Troy. Helen, by the way, is half divine. She is the daughter of Leda, who had been seduced by Zeus, in the form of a swan. She also had a brother but I don''t remember his name at the moment.
Agamemnon marries another one of Leda's daughters, Clytemnestra. Tundareus is her father, which makes Helen and Clytemnestra half-sisters. Both women are big trouble. Clytemnestra is all human, but smart. While Agamemnon is out fighting the Trojans, Clytemnestra has been taking charge of the kingdom. And she likes it.
Clytemnestra gets angry with Agamemnon, because Agamemnon sent for their daughter, Iphigenia. Shortly after he got Iphigenia on his ship, he sacrificed her to the goddess Artemis. He didn't want to do it but the other options were less appealing. Still, it angers Clytemnestra.
Perhaps it's because she is bored, or perhaps it's just her way of getting even, but Clytemnestra invites Aegisthus back home and then starts having a fling with him. Remember, Aegisthus is the son of Uncle Thyestes, the dude who ate his own kids and slept with his own daughter. Aegisthus has an axe to grind, one he'd like to put in Agamemnon's head. Aegisthus, however, is pretty much a wimp--more talk than action. Clytemnestra is much more scary and she pushes Aegisthus around just like she pushes the old men of the kingdom around.
Cassandra is Agamemnon's new girlfriend, another reason that Clytemnestra might be a little angry. Cassandra is the daughter of King Priam. Since Priam lost the war and Agamemnon won, Agamemnon got to keep Cassandra as a prize. This was common. Cassandra is beautiful and gifted. Her greatest gift and curse is her ability to see events she has not witnessed and to predict the future. The problem is, however, that no one believes her. Apollo cursed her in this way because Cassandra would not sleep with him. Gods don't take kindly to not getting their own way.
Besides the sacrificed Iphigenia, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have two other children who will not appear in this play. They do appear in the other two plays that go with this Oresteia trilogy--"The Libation Bearers" and "The Eumenides."
Electra is their daughter. She lives quietly at home.
Orestes, for whom the trilogy is named, is living in exile abroad. This is probably because his mother considers Orestes a threat to her power. Another reason, however, is that she might fear that her boyfriend, Aegisthus, might kill him. Orestes will return in 'The Libation Bearers." At Apollo's command for justice, he will kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus in this play. In "The Eumenides," Orestes will be tried for his crime by a jury of his peers. He will be acquitted "by the law of Athena."
Themes and other things to notice:
Guest/Host relationship
Proper Burial
Tribal (revenge) v. City State (justice)
Reverence for the gods
Furies
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