65 From Vengeance to Justice: The Genius of Aeschylus' ORESTEIA w/ Doug Metzger

Aeschylus' "Oresteia" is one of the most extraordinary works of literature to have come from Ancient Greece. It's a story about murder, revenge, and the birth of justice itself.  We are joined by Doug Metzger, host of the "Literature and History" podcast to explore how the ancient Athenian tragedian Aeschylus turned a bloody family feud into a vision of civilization, and offered the Athenians a new foundation myth for their democracy. *** Recommended translations of the Oresteia: For readability and beautiful language, you can't go wrong with Fagles. For accuracy and faithfulness to the original Greek syntax, go with Sommerstein. *** To support this show and our mission to bring the classics to the general public, please visit https://patreon.com/greecepodcast *** You can find Doug's incredible podcast on all major platforms and at https://literatureandhistory.com *** TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to the "Oresteia" 05:22 Agamemnon in the Iliad and Odyssey 12:17 Life of Aeschylus 14:00 The 1st Play: "Agamemnon" 20:03 Sacrifice of Iphigenia 26:58 Agamemnon's Arrival 34:56 The 2nd Play: "Libation Bearers" 41:35 Orestes kills Clytemnestra 51:40 The 3rd Play: "Eumenides" 59:12 The Trial  1:06:58 The Areopagus and Ephialtes's Reforms 1:10:24 Main Takeaways