The Agamemnon of Aeschylus / Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

14417

Title

The Agamemnon of Aeschylus / Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Gilbert Murray's translation of Aeschylus's *Agamemnon* captures the play's sublime atmosphere and religious gravity. This edition offers the original text with explanatory notes, exploring themes of pride, vengeance, and the transition from ancient religion to human drama.

Summary up to 500 words

Aeschylus's *Agamemnon*, the opening play of the *Oresteia* trilogy, stands as a monumental work where religious awe and dramatic tension achieve a near-perfect balance. The narrative centers on the triumphant return of Agamemnon from the Trojan War, a victory stained by the sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigenia, and his infidelity. His wife, Clytemnestra, alienated by these acts and secretly allied with Agamemnon's ancestral enemy, Aigisthos, orchestrates a deadly welcome. She commands her attendants to spread crimson tapestries across the palace threshold, a lavish temptation that Agamemnon initially resists but eventually yields to, trampling the sacred rugs as he enters. The atmosphere is thick with dread, personified by the prophetess Cassandra. A slave brought from Troy, Cassandra possesses the gift of true prophecy but is cursed by Apollo so that no one believes her warnings. As she trembles before the palace, she foresees the doom awaiting the House of Atreus, describing a cycle of crime punished by crime that must be repunished ad infinitum. The Chorus of Argive Elders sings of the inevitability of retribution, noting that every wrong is rooted in an older sin, creating an infection of cruelty that governs the family. Inside the palace, the murder occurs. Clytemnestra and Aigisthos kill Agamemnon and Cassandra, leaving the audience in a state of profound dread. The play reveals the crime and the arrival of Aigisthos, concluding with Clytemnestra's strange transition from ecstatic triumph to a longing for peace. Murray's translation highlights the play's unique position in Greek literature, where the drama has come fully to life yet retains a prophetic quality. It explores the majestic, terrifying rhythm of fate, the fall of pride, and the endless chain of vengeance that defines the ancient order, suggesting that only a new divine intervention can eventually break the cycle of 'evil duty'.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• Drama