Agamemnon: from The Oresteia Trilogy. Translaton by Gilbert Murray

By Æschylus .

Æschylus is often regarded as the father of Greek tragedy; he moved play writing from the simple interaction of a single character and a chorus to one where many characters interact and thereby create more dynamic and dramatic situations. Æschylus, was the son of Euphorion, and a scion of a Eupatrid or noble family. He was born at Eleusis 525 B.C., or, as the Greeks calculated time, in the fourth year of the 63rd Olympiad. He first worked at a vineyard and whilst there claimed to have been visited by Dionysis in a dream and told to turn his attention to the tragic art. It was a dream that would deliver a rich and incredible legacy through his writing talents. His earliest tragedy, composed when he was twenty-six years of age, failed to win the fabled Dionysia, (a revered festival of theatre) and it was not until fifteen years later that he gained this victory in 484BC going on to win it again in 472 BC (for The Persians), 467 BC (for Seven Against Thebes) and 463 BC (for The Suppliants). Æschylus was also known for his military skills and was ready to fight in defence of Athens whenever the call was made. He and his brother, Cynegeirus, fought against Darius's invading Persian army at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE and, although the Greeks won against overwhelming odds, Cynegeirus died in the battle, which had a naturally had a profound effect on Æschylus. He made several visits to the important Greek city of Syracuse in Sicily at the invitation of the tyrant Hieron, and it is thought that he also travelled extensively in the region of Thrace. His writing continued to be the envy of others. With the series of plays of which Seven Against Thebes was a part, his supremacy was undisputed. He was the "father of tragedy." Æschylus made many changes to dramatic form. The importance of the chorus was demoted and a second added to give prominence to the dialogue and making that interchange the leading feature of the play. He removed all deeds of bloodshed from the public view, and in their place provided various spectacular elements, improving the costumes, making the masks more expressive and convenient, and probably adopting the cothurnus to increase the stature of the performers. Finally, he established the custom of contending for the prize with trilogies, an inter-connecting set of three independent dramas. The closing years of the life of Æschylus were mainly spent in Sicily, which he had first visited soon after his defeat at the Dionysia by Sophocles. Æschylus returned to Athens to produce his Orestean trilogy, probably the finest of his works, although the Eumenides, the last of the three plays, revealed so openly his aristocratic tendencies that he became extremely unpopular, and returned to Sicily for the last time in 458 BCE and it was there that he died, while visiting the city of Gela in 456 or 455 BCE.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scribe Publishing
• Release date: Mar 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781787371385

Book preview

Agamemnon by Æschylus

THE ORESTEIA TRILOGY. BEING; AGAMEMNON, THE LIBATIONB EARERS & THE EUMENIDES

A translation by Gilbert Murray, Regius Professor of Greek, Oxford University

Æschylus is often regarded as the father of Greek tragedy; he moved play writing from the simple interaction of a single character and a chorus to one where many characters interact and thereby create more dynamic and dramatic situations. 

Æschylus, was the son of Euphorion, and a scion of a Eupatrid or noble family. He was born at Eleusis 525 B.C., or, as the Greeks calculated time, in the fourth year of the 63rd Olympiad.

He first worked at a vineyard and whilst there claimed to have been visited by Dionysis in a dream and told to turn his attention to the tragic art.

It was a dream that would deliver a rich and incredible legacy through his writing talents.  His earliest tragedy, composed when he was twenty-six years of age, failed to win the fabled Dionysia, (a revered festival of theatre) and it was not until fifteen years later that he gained this victory in 484BC going on to win it again in 472 BC (for The Persians), 467 BC (for Seven Against Thebes) and 463 BC (for The Suppliants)

Æschylus was also known for his military skills and was ready to fight in defence of Athens whenever the call was made.  He and his brother, Cynegeirus, fought against Darius's invading Persian army at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE and, although the Greeks won against overwhelming odds, Cynegeirus died in the battle, which had a naturally had a profound effect on Æschylus.

He made several visits to the important Greek city of Syracuse in Sicily at the invitation of the tyrant Hieron, and it is thought that he also travelled extensively in the region of Thrace.

His writing continued to be the envy of others.  With the series of plays of which Seven Against Thebes was a part, his supremacy was undisputed. He was the father of tragedy.

Æschylus made many changes to dramatic form.  The importance of the chorus was demoted and a second added to give prominence to the dialogue and making that interchange the leading feature of the play. He removed all deeds of bloodshed from the public view, and in their place provided various spectacular elements, improving the costumes, making the masks more expressive and convenient, and probably adopting the cothurnus to increase the stature of the performers. Finally, he established the custom of contending for the prize with trilogies, an inter-connecting set of three independent dramas.

The closing years of the life of Æschylus were mainly spent in Sicily, which he had first visited soon after his defeat at the Dionysia by Sophocles.

Æschylus returned to Athens to produce his Orestean trilogy, probably the finest of his works, although the Eumenides, the last of the three plays, revealed so openly his aristocratic tendencies that he became extremely unpopular, and returned to Sicily for the last time in 458 BCE and it was there that he died, while visiting the city of Gela in 456 or 455 BCE.

Index of Contents

Preface

The Persons

Scene

AGAMEMNON

Notes to the Agamemnon

Æschylus – A Short Biography

Æschylus – A Concise bibliography

PREFACE

The sense of difficulty, and indeed of awe, with which a scholar approaches the task of translating the Agamemnon depends directly on its greatness as poetry. It is in part a matter of diction. The language of Aeschylus is an extraordinary thing, the syntax stiff and simple, the vocabulary obscure, unexpected, and steeped in splendour. Its peculiarities cannot be disregarded, or the translation will be false in character. Yet not Milton himself could produce in English the same great music, and a translator who should strive ambitiously to represent the complex effect of the original would clog his own powers of expression and strain his instrument to breaking. But, apart from the diction in this narrower sense, there is a quality of atmosphere surrounding the Agamemnon which seems almost to defy reproduction in another setting, because it depends in large measure on the position of the play in the historical development of Greek literature.

If we accept the view that all Art to some extent, and Greek tragedy in a very special degree, moves in its course of development from Religion to Entertainment, from a Service to a Performance, the Agamemnon seems to stand at a critical point where the balance of the two elements is near perfection. The drama has come fully to life, but the religion has not yet faded to a formality. The Agamemnon is not, like Aeschylus' Suppliant Women, a statue half-hewn out of the rock. It is a real play, showing clash of character and situation, suspense and movement, psychological depth and subtlety. Yet it still remains something more than a play. Its atmosphere is not quite of this world. In the long lyrics especially one feels that the guiding emotion is not the entertainer's wish to thrill an audience, not even perhaps the pure artist's wish to create beauty, but something deeper and more prophetic, a passionate contemplation and expression of truth; though of course the truth in question is something felt rather than stated, something that pervades life, an eternal and majestic rhythm like the movement of the stars.

Thus, if Longinus is right in defining Sublimity as the ring, or resonance, of greatness of soul, one sees in part where the sublimity of the Agamemnon comes from. And it is worth noting that the faults which some critics have found in the play are in harmony with this conclusion. For the sublimity that is rooted in religion tolerates some faults and utterly refuses to tolerate others. The Agamemnon may be slow in getting to work; it may be stiff with antique conventions. It never approaches to being cheap or insincere or shallow or sentimental or showy. It never ceases to be genuinely a criticism of life. The theme which it treats, for instance, is a great theme in its own right; it is not a made-up

Reviews for Agamemnon

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Bewerking van Johan Boonen, zeer bevattelijk. Het stuk heeft een zwakke dramatische uitwerking, weinig diepgang

[maxernst11 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Bewerking van Johan Boonen, zeer bevattelijk. Het stuk heeft een zwakke dramatische uitwerking, weinig diepgang

[justindtapp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Agamemnon of Aeschylus was a play written by Aeschylus in 458 B.C. as part of a series (the Oresteia) that won him first prize in the archonship of Philocles. This version was translated into English rhyming verse by Gilbert Murray who also adds helpful footnotes.

Given that the original is in Greek, and this version has not only been translated into English but then made to rhyme in English, makes one wonder how true to the original spirit it remains. For example:
"Paris to Argos came;
Love of woman led him;
So God's altar he brought to shame,
Robbing the hand that fed him."

Author Philip Caputo offered the Oresteia as his one reading recommendation last year, which is why I wanted to read it. .

Agamemnon triumphantly returns home from the Trojan War. He is greeted by Clytemnestra who feigns the loving wife longing for her husband. She then lures Agamemnon and then Cassandra, his captured slave, into the house and murders them. The elders and comrades of Agamemnon move to take revenge against Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus. But Clytemnestra halts the dispute and everyone awaits the return of Agamemnon's son, Orestes, from Troy to exact the revenge.

Early in the play, I found language that sounds biblical enough to make me wonder either about the Greek translation or think about the Gospel authors' exposure to classic Greek literature.

"But the wise Shepherd knoweth his sheep,
And his eyes pierce deep
the faith like water that fawns and feigns."

My favorite part was when Agamemnon is replying to Clytemnestra, who is trying to tempt him to show hubris by treading on tapestries of crimson and gold. He responds by contrasting the honor he seeks with the respect shown only to gods:

"'Tis God that hath
Such worship; and for mortal man to press
Rude feet upon this broidered loveliness...
I vow there be danger in it. Let my road
Be honoured, surely; but as man, not god"

and:
"God giveth, for I reckon no man blest
Ere to the utmost goal his race be run.
So be it; and if, as this day I have done,
I shall do always, then I fear no ill."

But alas, poor Agamemnon:
"For woman's sake he endured and battled well,
And by a woman's hand he fell."

[jsburbidge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the more affordable of the two significant 20th Century editions of the Agamemnon, the other one being Fraenkel's magisterial three-volume edition (unfortunately priced only for the library or the specialist). Denniston and Page provide an edition with good apparatus, and engage intelligently with previous critics, providing a usable and helpful presentation of the text.

[aoibhealfae · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Agamemnon is one of the Oresteian trilogy that followed the story of Agamemnon's homecoming from the Trojan Wars and the subsequent tragedy that lead from his unfaithful wife, Clytemnestra. This play of Agamemnon concentrates on Clytemnestra, the comparison with Odysseus's wife, Penelope and the details of Agamemnon that lead to his foretold demise.

Since I only read the first part of the series, I do say this book is my least favorite Greek mythology due to the obvious regression of Clytemnestra to a character worth hating. I'm certain the play would be better in Greek than in English and even much better being seen than read.

Despite my obvious failure in understanding poetry, I am not averse to poetic form of literature but reading this does bores me. There are things that are meant to be said out loud, drama like this deserved to be seen instead of reading it. Since I'm not in a place where I could appreciate Greek literature, hence I am at the disadvantage until I found the perfect translation or prefarably audible translation to accompany with the reading of the famed Orestian trilogy.

[david.alfred.sarkies · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first part of the only Greek trilogy that we have. The play is set after the Trojan War in the city of Argos, of which Agamemnon is the ruler. Agamemnon's wife learns of the defeat of the Trojans and the imminent return of her husband through the use of a series of beacons. However while she is eagerly awaiting her husband's return, it is a different scenario from Odysseus' wife Penelope, who remained faithful to her husband for the twenty years he was away. Instead, while Agamemnon was away, she took a lover, Aegisthus, and is plotting her revenge for the murder of her daughter at Aulis.There is a lot of background to this play, but that is not uncommon for Greek drama in that they are set within a complex historical context that has a lot of past events that all tie in together and also provide the precursor to a lot of other events. This is probably why the trilogy was so popular in that it enabled the playwright to look to the events that arose within the play (and also that Greek plays tend to be quite short).Agamemnon is a man with a lot of enemies, but then that is to be expected in relation to a man that had set himself up as overlord of Greece. However, his father had tricked Aegisthus' father, Thyestes, into eating his children, but Aegisthus managed to escape, and by allowing Clytemnestra (Agamemnon's wife) to take him as her lover puts him in the best position to extract his revenge. However, Clytemnestra did not need much encouraging to murder Agamemnon, as prior to the war, he sacrificed his daughter, Iphagenia, so that the war would be successful (actually it was so that the winds would change to enable the fleet to sail to Troy). This is going to upset most mothers, though to add insult to injury, he brought Cassandra back as his prize, so he effectively arrives in Argos to face an angry wife with a woman that he picked up to take her place when she was not around. However, it is clear that Clytemnestra's actions were not looked upon all that well. While revenge is acceptable to the Greeks, it does not seem to be the case where it is the woman seeking revenge.As with a lot of Aeschylus' plays, it seems to be very little on the action, and a lot on the storytelling. While Clytaemnestra does appear at the beginning of the play, it is not until a quarter of the way through that she first speaks. In fact, most of the major characters only appear for a short time. The only major character that is on the stage for an extended period of time is Cassandra, and she is trying to warn the Chorus of what is to come, but due to her curse nobody believes her. It seems that a majority of the play actually revolves around Cassandra and her prophecies, and also the curse that has been placed upon her to be able to predict the future, but is never listened to. In fact, she is treated like the barbarian that she is.Clytaemnestra and Penelope are two contrasting women in Greek mythology. Penelope is seen as the epitome of female honour however Clytaemnestra is portrayed as the complete opposite. Penelope waits patiently for her husband to return, and uses every trick that she can think of to outwit the suitors who are eating her out of house and home. Throughout all that time she rebukes the advances of all of the man that come, and also resists the social pressure that she is under to remarry. Clytaemenstra is the opposite as she is a very proud and hot headed individual who is seeking revenge against her husband. She takes a lover, and then lays a trap for her husband for when she returns.The play concludes with the idea that Argos has now become a tyranny. This is odd because it never was anything other than a tyranny. Agamemnon is actually not a very nice guy. The best portrayal of him would have been in the movie Troy, where he is portrayed as a vicious imperialist who is looking for any excuse to expand his power. We don't see that here, but rather see a man who has returned from ten years of war to find his house not only in shambles but also turned against him. In a way, this play is another example of returning from war and the difficulties of returning to one's previous life. I suspect that there are a lot of soldiers out there that could sympathise with the plight of Agamemnon, though these days, with much better communication systems, the breakdown of the family unit due to war is evident much sooner, but happens all too often.