Oresteia

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/oresteia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote Oresteia?Aeschylus
2. What is the original performance year?458 BC
3. What is the number of surviving plays in trilogy?Three
4. Why does Clytemnestra kill her husband Agamemnon?Clytemnestra is angry because Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia and was unfaithful. She kills him to take revenge for those wrongs.
5. How does Orestes decide to kill his mother?Orestes follows Apollo's command to avenge his father's death. He chooses to kill his mother, even though it means breaking family ties.

Trilogy: A series of three related dramatic works, often exploring a continuous narrative or thematic progression.
Aeschylus: A seminal ancient Greek playwright, often credited with introducing dramatic dialogue and expanding the role of the chorus.
Furies (Erinyes): Ancient Greek goddesses of vengeance, often depicted as terrifying beings who pursued and punished those guilty of heinous crimes, particularly against family.
Areopagus: An ancient Athenian court, established in 'The Eumenides' to transition from blood feuds to a formal legal system.