The Oresteia

Lots of good criticism of the Oresteia. Big in theories of Athenian self-consciousness about the transition to the rationalised state etc.

If anything Euripides is kind of the neglected one. At least I see way way less about him than the others.

>>7584805
I saw the single play adaptation in London last year. Pretty based.

Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes are all standard Start with the Greeks. At least they were a few years ago, i don't use charts anymore.

>Orestias
>not even the best Aeschylus
>it's Prometheus Bound

>>7584901
Man walks up to a tailor in Athens and hands him two robes.

"Euripides?"
"Eumenides?"

>>7585017

>Best Aeschylus is Prometheus Bound?

That's debatable in more ways than one.

>>7584805
I have no idea, in my opinion it's better than Homer.

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>>7585024
oh my goodness gracious this sensible chuckle i am having is quite mirthful.

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>>7584805
>translated by Robert Fagles

>>7586206
He's not that bad.

>>7586250
>“But now I cleared my mind of Circe’s orders— / cramping my style, urging me not to arm at all. / I donned my heroic armor . . .”

>>7586258
that's essentially at the level of nigger-speak

>>7586258
kek'd hard i remember reading this line and loling

>>7584805
Oresteia gets posted fairly frequently. Once you've read classical and Homeric Greek lit, it's time to make the jump to Hellenistic lit. Callimachus first and then Apollonius rhodius. Two of the greatest poets in the Greek language and they hardly get talked about here.

>>7586204
That's exactly the reaction I was hoping for. I think it's an old classics tutor joke, and those guys are the kings of the sensible chuckle.

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>>7585024
10/10

This is the best modern staged version of it no need to thank me: https://youtu.be/O7sdZQ1BDs0

It's an interesting myth, and one should definitely read it while going into the Greeks as it's the only extant trilogy in classical 5th century tragedy, but it's pretty stale tragedy. Orestes is portrayed as objectively just in his father's vengeance -- and I don't recall the citizens of the city even being outraged in Aeschlyus' version of the myth -- but is driven out and reduced to exile and near-insanity by the Furies who are autistically caught up in the rules of the old law system. None of it is Orestes' fault; the tragedian aspect comes as a classical case of God deities being dicks when the situation doesn't call for being one and him being reduced by it.

IMO, Oedipus Rex and Medea are the best tragedies out there.

>>7587258
Responding with this great version of Oedipius Rex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZUCgq8LfhY

Also unintentionally hilarious at parts

>>7585024
my dad told me this

patrish joke?????

>>7587631
You rip these? You mend these?

>>7585024

only works if you mispronounce greek like the barbarian that you are

The Oresteia is the one of the great treats of world literature. Nothing else in Greek tragedy will compare. Go from that to The Persians and you're left scratching your balls saying 'that's fucking it?' Time is a cruel mistress and robbed us of many complete works.

>>7585017
>best Aeschylus is the one he didn't even write

Wow.

>>7586206
>>7586258
>>7586274
>>7586279
Fagles' translations of Aeschylus and Sophocles are fine. Stop memeing.

>>7588599

which lost plays would have been a treat?

>>7588609
I don't know because I haven't read them. I'm saying that most Greek tragedy feels incomplete because they are isolated parts of otherwise lost trilogies. Imagine if two millenia from now, people could only read Act II of Hamlet.

>>7588599
The Persians has definitely been the worst of the 5 I've read so far (I'm including Prometheus Bound).

>>7588656
Aeschylus is a singular genius and the narrative of the defeat is immense. Darius' lamentation is quite beautiful too. But dramatically it is absolutely nothing. Xerxes comes home and they cry a bit. I'd love to know the contents of the surrounding plays.

>>7585024
I don't get it. I feel sad. Explain plox.

>>7588796
>>7587654

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>>7585024
Pfft

>>7586258
Fucking hell, this is like that bible from the 60s that replaced parables about ripped wineskins with ones about bald tires.

>>7585001
>Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes
Add Aristophanes and you have 1 part of my A-level course many years ago, good starting list. Though I would always add that its worth reading the history around the thinkers/writers as well.

>>7586258

>first person

>>7589912
>Doesn't know what narration is.

bumo saves!

>>7588851

No love for Menander?

>>7585017
This may be debatable, but the Oresteai is also a completed trilogy. We unfortunately don't have the rest of the Prometheus trilogy which makes it a bit harder to judge without the other two, not that it isn't great on its own.

>>7588599

fucking christians fucking ruining everything for everyone all the god damned time.

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>>7594593
>but the Oresteai is also a completed trilogy.
Don't forget Proteus