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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

Electra – Powerful or Pathetic?

It was the fifth century Athenian tragedians who recognised the brutal power of the Electra story. Despite being little more than a footnote to Homer, this torrid tale of a sister and brother (Orestes) taking revenge their mother (Clytemnestra) for the murder of their father (Agamemnon) is rich in dramatic content. In particular, Electra herself

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

Top 10 Quotes from Euripides

Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC) is the great Greek Tragedian of Classical Athens, along with Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed 95 plays to him but, according to the Suda, it was 92 at most. Of these, 18 or 19 have survived more or less complete and there are also fragments, some substantial, of

The Worship of Guilt: The Furies and Justice

By Nicole Saldarriaga If you think the Sirens are the only mythological beings capable of making music deadly, think again. Mythology gives us another, much older trio of ladies whose song was meant to torture and kill their victims. They go by many names, but at least one is eminently recognizable: they are often called