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Cover of Agamemnon

Drama

Agamemnon

With Gilbert Murray

Translated by Gilbert Murray

The titular Greek king returns home from the Trojan war to be greeted by his scheming wife, who plots vengeance.

First published
1786
Length
20,995 words
Reading time
About 1 hr 28 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

Aeschylus’ Agamemnon opens with a watchman anxiously awaiting King Agamemnon’s return from the Trojan War. As Agamemnon arrives home in triumph, he is greeted by his wife, Clytemnestra, who feigns loyalty but harbors a deadly secret: she has plotted his murder in revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia, which Agamemnon made to secure favorable winds for the Greek fleet. Clytemnestra’s manipulation and cunning are revealed as the plot unfolds, and the play ends with the ominous foreshadowing of further retribution, setting the stage for the tragedies to come in the rest of the Oresteia .

First published 1786; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 20,995 words arranged in 6 navigable sections.

The source metadata identifies Annotator: Gilbert Murray; Translator: Gilbert Murray.

About the author

Aeschylus

Aeschylus (525 BCE–456 BCE) is described by Wikidata as ancient Athenian playwright, with citizenship or national association recorded as Classical Athens.

Recorded occupations include tragedy writer, warrior, playwright, and writer. Languages recorded for Aeschylus include Ancient Greek. Wikidata lists Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, Eumenides, The Persians, Prometheus Bound, and Seven against Thebes among Aeschylus's notable works. Open Library identifies Agamemnon as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 1032 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes Agamemnon and The Eumenides under Aeschylus's authorship.

Contributors

Annotator

Gilbert Murray

Translator

Gilbert Murray