Aeschylus Collection

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Agamemnon

Agamemnon is the first part of the Oresteia trilogy by the Greek playwright Aeschylus. Each of the plays that form part of The Oresteia can stand alone, but they perfectly complement one other in a longer narrative. Agamemnon provides the seed of all the themes that are explored in part two, The Libation Bearers, and three, The Eumenides.

Agamemnon tells the story of the homecoming of Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae, after the fall of Troy. Waiting for him at home was his wife, Queen Clytemnestra, with murder in her heart. She wants him dead to avenge the sacrifice of her daughter Iphigenia, to be able to openly embrace her lover Aegisthus, and to become ruler of Mycenae. Clytemnestra’s action would trigger a spate of tragedies.

Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks

Choephori

Choephori, or The Libation Bearers, is the second in the Oresteian trilogy on the House of Atreus, written by Aeschylus. It deals with the reunion of Agamemnon‘s children, Electra and Orestes, and their revenge upon their mother Clytemnestra for the murder of Agamemnon, which takes place in the first play, Agamemnon. The title refers to the chorus of libation bearers who supports and encourages Electra and Orestes in their quest for justice. The Oresteia is the only extant example of an ancient Greek theatre trilogy.

Public Domain (P)2018 Museum Audiobooks

Eumenides

The third and final play of the Oresteia by Aeschylus called Eumenides recounts the fate of Orestes after he had killed Clytemnestra to avenge the murder of his father, Agamemnon. He is relentlessly harassed by the Furies and pleads with the goddess Athena, who sets up a trial and casts the deciding vote to spare his life. This enrages the Furies, but Athena persuades them to pursue justice in a different way and changes their name to Eumenidis, the Kindly Ones.

Public Domain (P)2018 Museum Audiobooks

Persians

Aeschylus’ historical tragedy Persians, with its dire warnings against the hubris of imperialist overreach, is as relevant today as it was when first presented to an Athenian audience in 472 BC. This new edition of the classic drama features a literal translation by Mark Will (translator of Fernando Pessoa’s Message) which reconstructs in contemporary English verse the epic cadences of the original Greek.

Prometheus Bound (Mission Audio)

When a jealous Zeus discovers that the compassionate Titan, Prometheus, has introduced the gift of fire to liberate mere mortals from oppression and servitude, he has Prometheus bound to a rocky prison in the Scythian desert, where the god discloses the reason for his punishment.

Prometheus Bound is one of only seven surviving plays by the prolific Athenian playwright, Aeschylus. Born into a noble family in 525 BC, Aeschylus is credited with having introduced dialogue into the Greek drama, and indeed is a father of modern theater.

Prometheus Bound (Museum Audiobooks)

This Greek tragedy is based on the myth of Prometheus, a Titan who, in defiance of the gods, gives fire to mankind, an act for which he is subjected to perpetual punishment. The play consists almost entirely of speeches since the protagonist is chained throughout.

Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks

The Oresteia: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Furies

The classic trilogy about murder, revenge and justice, as heard on BBC Radio 3 – plus a bonus documentary exploring Aeschylus’ seminal Greek tragedy.

A chilling tale of homecoming, violent death and bloody vengeance, The Oresteia dates back to the fifth century BC, but its themes still resonate today. At once a family saga, morality tale and courtroom drama, it recounts how two generations of the cursed House of Atreus become locked into a deadly cycle of atrocities. To break the chain, their private vendetta must become public, as questions of guilt and justification are decided in the first ever homicide trial…

Agamemnon

The Trojan War is over, and conquering hero Agamemnon arrives home to Argos. But victory came at an appalling price – the sacrifice of his eldest daughter, Iphigenia. Now, his wife Clytemnestra is determined to take a grisly revenge…

The Libation Bearers

Returning from exile, Agamemnon’s son Orestes vows to avenge his father’s death by murdering his killer, his own mother Clytemnestra. But where can he find the strength to carry out such a horrific deed?

The Furies
Having committed matricide, Orestes flees to Delphi. But the remorseless Furies, ancient deities of vengeance, are on his trail and baying for blood. Can the young gods Apollo and Athena save him from a terrible fate?

Adapted by three of Britain’s most imaginative writers, Simon Scardifield, Ed Hime and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, these contemporary versions of Aeschylus’ trilogy are atmospheric, fast-moving and superbly accessible. The star casts include Lesley Sharp as Clytemnestra, Hugo Speer as Agamemnon and Will Howard as Orestes.

Each of the plays is introduced by Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Kings College London.
Also featured is an episode of In Our Time, in which Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how The Oresteia has fired the modern imagination, inspiring artists ranging from Richard Wagner to T. S. Eliot.

Agamemnon
The Chorus – Arthur Hughes, Philip Jackson and Carolyn Pickles
Clytemnestra – Lesley Sharp
Agamemnon – Hugo Speer
Cassandra – Anamaria Marinca
Calchas – Karl Johnson
Aegisthus – Sean Murray
Iphigenia – Georgie Fuller
Herald – John Norton
Guards – Steve Toussaint and Harry Jardine
Adapted by Simon Scardifield
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
BBC Concert Orchestra Percussionists: Alasdair Malloy, Stephen Webberley and Stephen Whibley
Singer: Adriana Festeu
Sound design by Colin Guthrie
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 12 January 2014

The Libation Bearers
Orestes – Will Howard
Electra – Joanne Froggatt
Clytemnestra – Lesley Sharp
The Chorus – Sheila Reid, Amanda Lawrence and Carys Eleri
Aegisthus – Sean Murray
Cilissa – Carolyn Pickles
Pylades – Joel MacCormack
Servants – David Seddon and John Norton
Iphigenia – Georgie Fuller
Adapted by Ed Hime
Directed by Marc Beeby
BBC Concert Orchestra Percussionists: Alasdair Malloy, Stephen Webberley and Stephen Whibley
Singer: Adriana Festeu
Sound design by Cal Knightley and Colin Guthrie
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 19 January 2014

The Furies
Narrator – Niamh Cusack
Alecto – Polly Hemingway
Megaera – Maureen Beattie
Tisiphone – Carolyn Pickles
Orestes – Will Howard
Athena – Chipo Chung
Apollo – Joel MacCormack
Clytemnestra – Lesley Sharp
The Pythia – Priyanga Burford
Girl – Carys Eleri
Judge – Sean Murray
Adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
BBC Concert Orchestra Percussionists: Alasdair Malloy, Stephen Webberley and Stephen Whibley
Sound design by Colin Guthrie
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 26 January 2014

In Our Time

Presented by Melyvn Bragg

With Edith Hall, then Professor of Greek Cultural History at Durham University; Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge; Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London

Produced by Charlie Taylor

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 December 2005

The Oresteia

In The Oresteia, Aeschylus dramatizes the myth of the curse on the royal house of Argos. The action begins when King Agamemnon returns victorious from the Trojan War, only to be treacherously slain by his own wife. It ends with the trial of their son, Orestes, who slew his mother to avenge her treachery – a trial with the goddess Athena as judge, the god Apollo as defense attorney, and, as prosecutors, relentless avenging demons called The Furies. The results of the trial change the nature of divine and human justice forever.

An adaptation by Yuri Rasovsky, based on a translation by Ian Johnston.
Also included is an excerpt from Blackstone’s dramatization of The Odyssey, in which Agamemnon’s brother Menelaus learns of the events of The Oresteia from Proteus, the sea god.

(P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

The Suppliants

The fifty daughters of Danaos have with their father fled by ship from Egypt, escaping compulsatory marriage with their fifty cousins, the sons of Aegyptos. They arrive in Argos, where, by supplication to the king and people, they seek refuge from their cousins, who sailed in pursuit. Their devout abhorrence of the marriage is the weightiest theme of the play.

April 29, 2022April 29, 2022