translated by Anne Carson

A Bold, Iconoclastic New Look at One of the Great Works of Greek Tragedy

In this innovative rendition ofThe Oresteia, the poet, translator, and essayist Anne Carson combines three different visionsAischylosAgamemnon, SophoklesElektra, and EuripidesOrestesgiving birth to a wholly new experience of the classic Greek triumvirate of vengeance. After the murder of her daughter Iphegenia by her husband Agamemnon, Klytaimestra exacts a mothers revenge, murdering Agamemnon and his mistress, Kassandra. Displeased with Klytaimestras actions, Apollo calls on her son, Orestes, to avenge his fathers death with the help of his sister Elektra. In the end, Orestes, driven mad by the Furies for his bloody betrayal of family, and Elektra are condemned to death by the people of Argos, and must justify their actionssignaling a call to change in society, a shift from the capricious governing of the gods to the rule of manmade law.

Carsons accomplished rendering combines elements of contemporary vernacular with the traditional structures and rhetoric of Greek tragedy, opening up the plays to a modern audience. In addition to its accessibility, the wit and dazzling morbidity of her prose sheds new light on the saga for scholars. Anne CarsonsOresteiais a watershed translation, a death-dance of vengeance and passion not to be missed.