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Home , Aegisthus, Agamemnon (Seneca), Atreus, Iphigenia, Oresteia, Oresteia (opera)

THE GENEALOGY OF ACCORDING TO

TANTALUS | | | | | | ______| | ) (=) =Clytemnestra | | | | ORESTES

Tantalus committed one of humanity’s original sins. He served to the gods a meal of his own son’s flesh, Pelops. The gods punished Tantalus for his crime and restored Pelops’ body and revivified him. Pelops was a deceiver who cheated to win a chariot race, the reward was marriage to . Atreus and Thyestes, in some tellings, were twins. The gods’ gift of a golden ram signified Atreus as the chosen one in his generation. Thyestes seduced Atreus’ wife, , and got the ram, the symbol of kingdom. Atreus regained kingdom with help of and Eris, banishing Thyestes. Atreus later feigned reconciliation by inviting Thyestes to a dinner. Atreus’ hideous secret was that the meal was the flesh of Thyestes’ own sons. Thyestes, bereft of all his sons, incestuously conceived with his daughter a new son Aegisthus. Aegisthus, in some tellings, assassinated Atreus; in others he overthrew Agamemnon. Agamemnon leads the Argives and all Greek forces against Trojan to avenge Helen’s abduction. Having angered , Agamemnon is commanded to appease the goddess by sacrifice of Iphigenia. Iphigenia’s murder is one of Clytemnestra’s chief concerns, Aegisthus being the other, when Agamenon returns. The surviving offspring of Agamemnon, Electra and Orestes, avenge their father’s murder. Orestes plight: damned if he does not avenge father, damned if he commits matricide. Electra experiences one of the greatest psychological crises in all literature. Only gods can resolve Orestes’ plight. The have always avenged blood-guilt. tells Orestes he must commit matricide, promising resolution. actually delivers the resolution of Orestes’ crippling guilt. The Erinyes relent under judicial negotiation orchestrated by Athena. The story of the Tantalids is ALL ABOUT revenge. Orestes experiences the end of revenge. Aeschylus’ is ALL ABOUT Athena’s resolution of cyclical revenge, humanity’s most knotty problem. How do you resolve the most entrenched cycle of revenge? Athena and Athenian Justice.