Greek Tragedy XXXII: Euripides’s Orestes, or Mourning Does Not Become Orestes

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inGreek Tragedy, The Greeks

We aren’t quite done with variations on the story of Orestes, as we see in today’s play from Euripides.

I’ve told you that my brain makes fun connections. Here’s where my brain went when I was putting together today’s episode.

The resolution isn’t great, but it’s the song that I thought of when Electra and the Chorus are trying not to wake Orestes.
I was going to share a performance video, but they were all so serious, and I think this show is best if nothing is taken seriously. So how does my brain work? I say the word “grovel” and immediately start singing it…
Discussion Prompts
  1. Why is the focus on the murder of Clytaemestra and not Aegisthus?
  2. AP Credit: Discuss the theme of justice in all of the iterations of the Orestes myth written by the Greek tragedians.
  3. What do you think about Helen in this play? Menelaos? Orestes? Electra?
  4. If you were directing this play today, how would you handle it? Setting, theme, vision, cast, etc. Why?
  5. Helen, Castor, and Polydeukes are all now on Olympos according to Apollo. Where do you think Clytaemestra is? Why?

Published by Triumvir Clio

I have a BA in History and Classical Civilization from Loyola University Chicago and an MPH from Western Michigan University. I've been a geometry teacher, a religion teacher, a writing tutor. I'm a writer, a knitter, a dancer, a singer, an actor. And, yes, for fun I like to reread everything that was assigned while getting my classics degree.

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