The Works of Aeschylus

What It's About

This collection brings together the five complete surviving tragedies of Aeschylus. The centrepiece is the Oresteia trilogy—Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers, and The Eumenides—which follows the fall of the House of Atreus, from Agamemnon's murder on his return from Troy through his son Orestes's act of revenge and eventual trial. The other plays are The Persians, which dramatises the Persian defeat at Salamis from the losing side's perspective; Seven Against Thebes, on the fratricidal war between the sons of Oedipus; The Suppliants, in which the daughters of Danaus flee forced marriage; and Prometheus Bound, depicting the Titan's punishment for defying Zeus.

Key Concepts

Fate and divine justice run through all five plays, alongside the human cost of war and the danger of hubris before the gods. The Oresteia is particularly notable for dramatising the shift from a cycle of blood-vengeance to trial by law, ending with the founding of the Athenian court system.

About the Author

Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BC) was an Athenian playwright widely regarded as the founder of tragedy as a literary and dramatic form, and the earliest of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, alongside Sophocles and Euripides. He is believed to have fought against the Persians, including at the Battle of Marathon, an experience that likely informed his portrayal of the Persian Wars. Of the roughly ninety plays attributed to him, only seven survive intact.

About This Edition

These translations by E. D. A. Morshead were first published between 1881 and 1908.