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Cover of The Eumenides

Drama

The Eumenides

With Gilbert Murray

Translated by Gilbert Murray

With James Wright

A man is pursued by wrathful goddesses for avenging his father’s murder, and finds refuge in Athens where a trial determines his fate.

First published
458 BCE
Length
15,064 words
Reading time
About 1 hr 3 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

In Aeschylus’ The Eumenides , the final play of the Oresteia trilogy , Orestes is tormented by the Furies after avenging his father, Agamemnon, by killing his mother, Clytemnestra. Seeking refuge at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, he is guided to Athens, where he faces trial for his actions. The goddess Athena intervenes, establishing a court to judge Orestes, symbolizing the shift in Greece from personal vendetta to a structured legal system.

First published 458 BCE; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 15,064 words arranged in 5 navigable sections.

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

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

Annotator

James Wright