What happens at the end of Aeschylus Libation Bearers?
By Aeschylus This time, it’s Clytemnestra who has been killed, and the murderer is… Orestes, who ends the play by going insane and running away to Delphi, convinced he is pursued by the Furies (spirits of vengeance).
Why were Libation Bearers sent to libations?
They explain that they have come as a result of a terrible dream that queen Clytamnestra had the night before. The dream interpreters said that the dream came from the dead king, who rages against his murderer. The queen then bid the slave women go to the grave and give libations, in hopes of abating his anger.
Who dies in Libation Bearers?
Orestes
Orestes regains his resolve and deflects all of Clytamnestra’s pitiful arguments. He stabs her, and the chorus rejoices. He wraps the two bodies in the same shroud in which Agamemnon was killed, and announces to the world that he has carried out the commands of Justice.
What is justice in The Libation Bearers?
Justice demands that evil deeds be punished by further evil deeds. The chorus says these words in order to stir up hate and anger in Orestes and Electra. They insist that the old order of law must be respected, and that Agamemnon’s murderers must pay for their crimes.
What is the main action that takes place in the Libation Bearers?
major conflictRevenge must be sought for Agamemnon’s murder at the hands of Clytamnestra and Aigisthos. Apollo sends Orestes to do the job. Orestes must return home, pay tribute to his father’s tomb, plot with his sister Electra, connive his way into the palace, and commit a double murder.
How old is Orestes in Libation Bearers?
Clytemnestra has sent her ten-year-old son, Orestes, away, so he will not get involved in the inter-family feud. Aeschylus makes several changes to the story of Agamemnon’s death from the way that it is told in the Odyssey.
How does Electra recognize Orestes in The Libation Bearers?
Libation Bearers: The language is clearer than in Agamemnon, but there remains a haze over what is true. Disguises: Electra does not recognize Orestes when he first approaches her, yet she does recognize his hair and footprint as being identical to her own.
Why is it called The Libation Bearers?
The second play, Choephoroi (Libation Bearers), takes its title from the chorus of women servants who come to pour propitiatory offerings at the tomb of the murdered Agamemnon. Orestes then slays Aegisthus, but Orestes’ subsequent murder of Clytemnestra is committed reluctantly, at the god Apollo’s bidding.
Where does the Libation Bearers take place?
Argos
Argos, Ancient Greece Like Agamemnon, Part 1 of Aeschylus’s Oresteia trilogy, Libation Bearers takes place in Argos, a city in the Peloponnese, a large peninsula in the south of mainland Greece.
What happens to Orestes in the Libation Bearers?
Orestes regains his resolve and deflects all of Clytamnestra’s pitiful arguments. He stabs her, and the chorus rejoices. He wraps the two bodies in the same shroud in which Agamemnon was killed, and announces to the world that he has carried out the commands of Justice.
What was the plot of the Libation Bearers?
Together, Orestes and Electra plot to avenge Agamemnon’s death. With the eager support of the chorus, Orestes concocts a plan wherein he will gain admittance to the palace and kill Aigisthos on the throne. Electra and the chorus are complicit, and disappear back into the palace.
What are the names of the three tragedies in Oresteia?
These myths are used by Aeschylus in his trilogy “Oresteia” – three tragedies continuing one another: “Agamemnon”, ” Libation Bearers “, and “Eumenides”. “Agamemnon” is the longest one. It starts unusual.
Why does Oresteia hide under Agamemnon’s tomb?
He leans over the tomb of Agamemnon and puts as a sign of his loyalty a lock of his hair. And then he hides, because sees the approaching choir. These are Choephoroi, the libation bearers, the tragedy is called after them. Libations of water, wine and honey were made on the graves to honor the deceased.