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Aeschylus' play The Libation Bearers is the second play in The Oresteia. It takes place after Agamemnon and before The Eumenides. Agamemnon's son Orestes returns with his friend Pylades to Argo to average his father's death. His sister Electra has been ordered by her mother Clytemnestra who killed Agamemnon to pour libations to quiet Agamemnon's spirit. Electra recognizes Orestes hair and the two are reunited.
Orestes and Electra pour the libations to get revenge against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Orestes kills Aegisthus. Clytemnestra begs for her life, but Pylades convinced Orestes to kill her anyway. The Furies then drive Orestes to insanity and he flees to Delphi.
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Fast Facts:
- Also known as Choephoroe or The Choephori
- Set in Athens and the Temple at Delphi
- Libations are water or wine poured for the gods during a religious ritual
- Major theme uncertainty between right and wrong
- First performed in 458 B.C.
- Tragic play
- Takes place about 20 years after the Trojan War
- Uses light and dark imagery
- Referenced by Euripides in his play Electra Play
Important Quotations:
- They killed an honored man by cunning, so they die by cunning, caught in the same noose.
- The gods know, and we call upon the gods; they know how we are spun in circles like seafarers, in what storms. But if we are to win, and our ship live, from one small seed could burgeon an enormous tree.
- Oh curse upon our house, bitter antagonist, how far your eyes range. What was clean out of your way your archery brings down with a distant deadly shot to strip unhappy me of all I ever loved. Even Orestes now! He was so well advised to keep his foot clear of this swamp of death. But now set down as traitor the hope that was our healer once and made us look for a bright revel in our house.
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Aeschylus' play The Libation Bearers is the second play in The Oresteia. It takes place after Agamemnon and before The Eumenides. Agamemnon's son Orestes returns with his friend Pylades to Argo to average his father's death. His sister Electra has been ordered by her mother Clytemnestra who killed Agamemnon to pour libations to quiet Agamemnon's spirit. Electra recognizes Orestes hair and the two are reunited.
Orestes and Electra pour the libations to get revenge against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Orestes kills Aegisthus. Clytemnestra begs for her life, but Pylades convinced Orestes to kill her anyway. The Furies then drive Orestes to insanity and he flees to Delphi.
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The Mahalo Top 7
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Wikipedia: The Libation Bearers
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The Internet Classics Archive: The Libation Bearers Online Text
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Wikiquote: The Libation Bearers Quotations
en.wikiquote.org -
SparkNotes: The Libation Bearers Study Guide
sparknotes.com -
Associated Content: "Justification of Orestes in The Libation Bearers"
associatedcontent.com (October 15, 2005) -
Amazon.com: The Libation Bearers Merchandise
amazon.com -
The Washington Post: Bertolt Brecht's Human Touch
washingtonpost.com (April 09, 2008)
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Wikipedia: The Libation Bearers
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The Libation Bearers on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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Audio lecture on The Libation Bearers + Lady GaGa = great start to the day
@Eiron | November 04, 2009 02:19 PM
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The Libation Bearers on Amazon | View All
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Actress Yvonne Mitchell, as Electra in the Play "Libation Bearers" Premium Photographic Poster Print by Loomis Dean, 24x32
Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on...
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Aeschylus, 1 : The Oresteia : Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, the Eumenides (Penn Greek Drama Series) - $16.95
The Penn Greek Drama Series presents original literary translations of the entire corpus of classical Greek drama: tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays. It is the only contemporary series of all the surviving work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, E...
Amazon -
The Oresteia by Aeschylus, Trilogy includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides. Published by MobileReference (mobi) - $0.99
This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features the table of contents linked to every play. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other elect...
Amazon -
Greek Tragedies, Volume 2 The Libation Bearers (Aeschylus), Electra (Sophocles), Iphigenia in Tauris, Electra, & The Trojan Women (Euripides) - $11.00
In three paperback volumes, the Grene and Lattimore editions offer a selection of the most important and characteristic plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides from the nine-volume anthology of The Complete Greek Tragedies....
Amazon -
The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides (Penguin Classics) - $11.00
In the "Oresteia" - the only trilogy in Greek drama which survives from antiquity - Aeschylus took as his subject the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Moving from darkness to light, from rage to self-gove...
Amazon
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Questions and Answers About The Libation Bearers | View All | Ask a Question
View All The Libation Bearers Questions (4) | Ask a QuestionGot any ring bearer gift ideas? I have 2, ages 4 and 6. !!!! (1 Answer)Boardgames,clothing, base ball bat. model airplanes, puzzles. You can get ringbearer ingraved into these gifts if you would like. http://www.bridalpeople.com/ring-bearer-flowergirl-gift/ read moreCocktail drinkers, now you get your chance. What is your favourite mixed drink? Wines excluded, they get their own question later. (23 Answers)Classic. None Better. Grey Goose Martini, extra dry, olives, straight up, fantastically cold. I think Dickens named his character and novel after the typical bartender response to "I'll have a ... read moreIs the race of your ancestors important to you? Why or why not? (6 Answers)Of course the race of my ancestors is important to me. It helps me identify who I am and where I came from. I've learned a lot about the people ... read more
Ask a Question about The Libation Bearers 140 characters
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Fast Facts:
- Also known as Choephoroe or The Choephori
- Set in Athens and the Temple at Delphi
- Libations are water or wine poured for the gods during a religious ritual
- Major theme uncertainty between right and wrong
- First performed in 458 B.C.
- Tragic play
- Takes place about 20 years after the Trojan War
- Uses light and dark imagery
- Referenced by Euripides in his play Electra Play
- Important Quotations:
- They killed an honored man by cunning, so they die by cunning, caught in the same noose.
- The gods know, and we call upon the gods; they know how we are spun in circles like seafarers, in what storms. But if we are to win, and our ship live, from one small seed could burgeon an enormous tree.
- Oh curse upon our house, bitter antagonist, how far your eyes range. What was clean out of your way your archery brings down with a distant deadly shot to strip unhappy me of all I ever loved. Even Orestes now! He was so well advised to keep his foot clear of this swamp of death. But now set down as traitor the hope that was our healer once and made us look for a bright revel in our house.
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