Murder and Retribution: the House of Atreus (handout)

Classical Mythology

English - April 17, 2013 03:47 - ★★★★ - 18 ratings
Courses Education History la trobe university chris mackie christopher mackie greece greek history history ancient history rhiannon evans classical mythology Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

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Cannibalism, murder and revenge are at the heart of the complex of myths surrounding the House of Atreus, a family cursed to exact violence on one another from generation to generation. This lecture investigates the way that the murder of Agamemnon is treated in both Homer’s Odyssey and Aeschylus’ Oresteia, and discusses how each version of the myth reflects contemporary concerns. In particular,Aeschylus’ trilogy deals with themes which were significant to the political culture of democratic Athens, which gave power to civic institutions ratherthan to the household, and put authority firmly in the hands of Athenian males.