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The Libation Bearers (a.k.a. Choephori )

The Libation Bearers (a.k.a. Choephori ). Two Big Questions Plot Summary. Dramatis personæ Orestes Electra Pylades of Phocis, Strophius’ son Clytemnestra Ægisthus Cilissa: Orestes’ nurse Chorus (foreign slave women, i.e. the libation bearers). Setting

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The Libation Bearers (a.k.a. Choephori )

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  1. The Libation Bearers(a.k.a. Choephori) Two Big Questions Plot Summary

  2. Dramatis personæ Orestes Electra Pylades of Phocis, Strophius’ son Clytemnestra Ægisthus Cilissa: Orestes’ nurse Chorus (foreign slave women, i.e. the libation bearers) Setting Argos, some ten years after the Agamemnon takes place. The Plot Orpheus returns to Argos, kills Ægisthus and his mother to avenge his father, then apparently goes mad and runs off. The Libation Bearers

  3. The Libation Bearers: plot • I. Orestes’ monologue at Agamemnon’s grave; Pylades silent (1-20) • A. Offers a clip of hair to Inachus (river) and Agamemnon(1-9) • B. Sees chorus enter with Electra; recognizes his sister (10-17) • C. Asks Zeus to grant him vengeance (17-18) • D. Orestes and Pylades hide (19-20)

  4. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • II. Parodos (21-84) • A. They are in mourning and bear libations (21-30) • B. Clytemnestra had a terrifying dream of revenge (31-40) • C. The house is cursed (45-53) • D. Fortune has turned against it (44-65) • E. Murder, like the violation of virginity, is incurable (71-75) • F. They are captives of war, but were loyal to Agamemnon (76-84)

  5. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • III. Choral dialogue with Electra (85-211) • A. Electra’s monologue (85-105) • 1. She doesn’t know what to say (85-89) • 2. Clytemnestra sent her (90-91) • 3. Agamemnon didn’t receive proper burial (96) • 4. She asks chorus for frank advice (100-105) • B. Stichomythia with chorus (106-122) • 1. They advise (inter alia) praying for an avenger (119, 121, 123) • 2. She questions whether that is right (122)

  6. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • C. Electra prays to Agamemnon’s shade for aid and for Orestes’ return (123-141) • D. She prays for an avenger, for justice (142-148) • E. Chorus echo her (152-163) • F. Electra sees the lock of Orestes’ hair (164-204) • G. She sees Pylades’ and Orestes’ footprints, the latter just like her own (205-211)

  7. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • IV. Orestes comes out, convinces Electra of his identity (212-234) • A. The hair (225-230) • B. The footprints (228) • C. The cloth (231-232) • V. They prepare their revenge (234-584) • A. Electra urges revenge (234-245): Zeus and Right invoked (244-245), but Iphigeneia mentioned at 242 • B. Orestes challenges Zeus’ justice (246-263)

  8. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • C. Orestes recounts Apollo’s oracle: kill Clytemnestra and Ægisthos or die yourself (269-296) • D. Orestes has his own motives as well (297-305) • E. Note the chorus’ (340-344) and Orestes’ (394-399) entreaties for Zeus’ justice • F. Agamemnon’s burial described (429-433) • G. Orestes willing to die for his revenge (434-438): cf. 481-482 • H. Chorus: enough talk; time for action (510-513)

  9. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • I. Orestes asks about the libations (514-522) • J. Chorus tells of Clytemnestra’s dream (523-539) • K. Orestes interprets the dream (540-550) • L. Orestes rehearses the plan (554-584); n.b. invocation of Apollo (558-559) and the Fury (577-578) • VI. 1st Stasimon comparing Agamemnon’s murder with other natural and mythological terrors (585-651) • A. Natural terrors (585-593)

  10. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • B. Human horrors: intro (594-602) • C. Priamel: Althæa, Scylla, Clytemnestra (603-651) • VII. Orestes and Pylades con their way into the palace (652-718) • A. They knock at the door, claim to have news (652-667) • B. Clytemnestra welcomes them (668-673); n.b. feigned femininity at 672-673 • C. They pose as Phocians, claim to have heard of Orestes’ death from Strophius (675-690)

  11. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • D. Clytemnestra sounds legitimately upset, invites them into the house (691-718) • VIII. Brief choral interlude (719-733) • IX. Dialogue between Cilissa and the chorus (734-782) • A. She is going to fetch Ægisthos (734-737) • B. Clytemnestra’s sorrow is feigned (737-741) • C. Comic relief (755-759) • D. Chorus warns Cilissa to tell Ægisthos to come quickly, i.e. alone and unarmed (760-782)

  12. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • X. 2nd Stasimon (783-837) • A. Prayer to Zeus (783-799) • B. Prayer to household gods, Apollo, and Hermes (800-818) • C. Pray for revenge, n.b. 826-830 (819-837) • XI. The murders (838-930) • A. Ægisthos arrives, feigns (?) sorrow; chorus urges him to go in (838-854) • B. Chorus prays for success, hears a cry from inside (855-874)

  13. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • C. Messenger announces Ægisthos’ death, summons Clytemnestra; she calls for an axe (875-892) • D. Orestes and Pylades enter; Clytemnestra pleads for her life (892-930) • 1. Clytemnestra recognizes Orestes (896-898) • 2. Orestes is unsure (899) • 3. Pylades’s speech: very important (900-902) • 4. Orestes is convinced (903-907) • 5. Stichomythia: Clytemnestra pleads with him, but fails; they go inside (903-930)

  14. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • XII. 3rd Stasimon: the chorus rejoices at the gods’ justice (931-971) • XIII. Orestes returns with Clytemnestra’s and Ægisthos’ corpse; ekkyklema? (973-1062) • A. Orestes displays the net as evidence of his mother’s crime; chorus agrees (973-1009) • B. Doubt begins to set in: no honor in the killing (1010-1020) • C. Orestes begins to fear; realizes this is not the end (1021-1028)

  15. The Libation Bearers: plot (cont.) • D. He will go to Apollo, who ordered the murder (1029-1047) • E. He sees the Furies; the chorus do not; he flees (1048-1062) • XIV. Choral coda: where will it all end? (1063-1076)

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