Eumenides
Thursday 11th December 2014
Venue: St Andrew's Hall
Category: Theatre
Price Info: £14/£10 concs
Time Info: 8:00pm
Orestes is pursued by The Furies to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Apollo acts as his protector, puts The Furies to sleep, and sends Orestes to the Temple of Athene in Athens.
The Ghost of Clytemnestra appears and rebukes the sleeping Furies for allowing Orestes to escape. At Athens, Orestes seeks the protection of the goddess Athene.
Both Apollo and Athene argue that Orestes was justified in killing his mother. They argue that because of the superiority of the male over the female, the murder of husband by wife is the far greater crime. The Furies argue the opposite.
Athene decrees that a trial should take place, the first murder trial in history. Apollo argues for the defence, the Furies for the prosecution. The Jury (a group of Athenian citizens) are split in their vote and Athene casts her casting vote in favour of Orestes, stating that “No mother gave me birth, therefore I approve the male in all thingsâ€. The Furies threaten to cause famine and other catastrophes, but Athene persuades them to forgo vengeance and take a place of honour in Athenian society. They become the ‘Eumenides’ of the title, ‘The Kindly Ones’.
The trilogy ends with a chorus of Athenian citizens escorting them to their new dwelling place under the Areopagus Hill, which gives its name to the Athenian court of justice that existed in Aeschylus’ time.
https://www.insitutheatre.co.uk/oresteia-trilogy/
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