It is his last work and the only complete trilogy of Greek dramas that has survived. Audience is offered to decide between the two experiences that are simultaneously inclusive and exclusive. For further information, please visit here. Communications partners: Hanoi Grapevine. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Due to limited seating capacity, please fill the form below to reserve seats Only 30 seats available Oresteia, trilogy of tragic dramas by the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus, was first performed in BCE.
Though it's often hard to credit ancient biographical accounts of Aeschylus, these suggest his plays may have even been tough for audiences of his own time. In one such account, the first appearance of the Furies in the Eumenides caused children to faint and women to miscarry.
Lastly, the language of Aeschylus is extraordinarily grand and might well have felt archaic even to contemporaries. The resulting density of language, narrative and metaphor can thus make for taxing, but also potentially very rewarding, reading. Athens' Dionysia were state-run festivals, with the state selecting competitors, sponsors and judges one from each Athenian tribe — and even subsidizing admission for citizens of humbler means. Performances were also part of a religious framework: the festival was dedicated to the cult of Dionysus, processions and sacrifices were held and in the orchestra the space where the chorus danced, sung, and acted stood an altar of Dionysus.
Since the subjects of tragedy were mainly drawn from myth, it was never as overtly political a genre as comedy. However, the playwrights often used distant settings to bring up social and moral issues relevant in their own time. The Oresteia , as a connected trilogy, was particularly suitable to present the evolution of concepts in different stages. Aeschylus may have also alluded to recent political events more directly.
In the Eumenides , for instance, Orestes institutes an alliance between Argos and Athens. In BCE, only four years before the production of the Oresteia, Athens had abandoned its old alliance with Sparta in favor of a new alliance with Argos, the enemy of Sparta.
In addition, the council of the Areopagus, formerly an important political organ in Athens, was in that same year stripped of all functions except for acting as a court for homicide cases. By staging the final trial of Orestes on the Areopagus, Aeschylus provided a mythological foundation for this recent Athenian custom. The trial of Orestes, finally, can be viewed as an original solution to an old story. Later they re-appeared as subjects in an epic poem by the 6 th -century lyric poet Stesichorus.
McLaughlin sees a clear reason. This is a massive undertaking for Kahn and McLaughlin. The Oresteia runs April 30—June 1, Tickets are on sale now at ShakespeareTheatre. The Oresteia is made possible by a generous grant from. Get Directions. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe Contact Account. Search for:. Plan Your Visit. Drew Lichtenberg. Make a Gift.
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