Tag Archives: Agamemnon
by Sean Kelly, Managing Editor, Classical Wisdom The Oresteia of Aeschylus is a truly remarkable work. It is the only surviving trilogy of plays from ancient Greece, and is amongst the earliest Greek tragedies that we still have – countless others were lost. Most importantly, it tells a compelling and powerful story with great artistry.
The Murder of Agamemnon: Birth of Modern Justice
Written by Stella Samaras, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Weekly “The poet’s grace, the singer’s fire, Grow with his years; and I can still speak truth With the clear ring the God’s inspire…” Aeschylus, Chorus from Agamemnon In 458 BCE, the aging Aeschylus was a contender at the Dionysia. Athens, although enjoying peace between the Persian
Agamemnon and The Cursed House of Atreus
Agamemnon, was the first of a trilogy of plays (the Oresteia), performed back to back during the Great Dionysia of 458BC; it focused on two generations of ‘The Cursed House of Atreus’. Regular readers will be well-aware of the bad blood flowing through, and often out of, the members of this unfortunate dynasty. Tantalus (grandfather
The Sailor Who Ruined Trojan Heroes’ Lives
The Trojan War cycle is replete with anecdotes of home-wreckers and homecomings. Sure, everyone knows the sad stories of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and Odysseus and Penelope, but there are a few more tragic tales lurking in the background. Enter Nauplius, a nasty, vengeful sailor who made quite a few soldiers’ returns from the war very,
The Glory and the Tragedy of Achilles
The hero of The Iliad, Achilles is the central character and fiercest warrior in Homer’s epic. He is portrayed as being hot-headed, ferocious, and often filled with grief. Achilles as the mournful warrior is a theme that Homer recounts several times during the course of The Iliad. Combining the nature of a grieving Achilles with
Homer and the Soul
by A.P. David There is no ‘soul’ in Homer. The Ancient Greek ψυχή is usually translated as ‘soul’. The Ancient Greeks, however, never asked the question, ‘does the ψυχή exist?’ And when you really think about it, we don’t have such a question nowadays either. It amounts to asking ‘does life exist?’ not ‘does the