Euripides Orestes

by Matthew Wright

"'Orestes' was one of Euripides' most popular plays in antiquity. Its plot, which centres on Orestes' murder of his mother Clytemnestra and its aftermath, is exciting as well as morally complex; its presentation of madness is unusually intense and disturbing; it deals with politics in a way which has resonances for both ancient and modern democracies; and, it has a brilliantly unexpected and ironic ending. Nevertheless, 'Orestes' is not much read or performed in modern times. Why should this be so? Perhaps it is because 'Orestes' does not conform to modern audiences' expectations of what a...