The Athenian audience for the Oresteia believed that the dead retained their identities from life and after death could influence the situation of the living. You have encountered two ghosts in this trilogy. (1) Orestes, Electra, and the chorus pray to the dead Agamemnon and to the gods of the dead in Choephoroi/ Libation Bearers pp. 62-64. In what ways do they think the dead Agamemnon still resembles his living self? What do his children want him to do? (2) The ghost of Clytemnestra appears early in Eumenides (pp. 87-88). In what ways does the dead Clytemnestra resemble her living self? What does she want done on earth? (3) Summarize briefly what Greeks believed the dead could—and could not—do. Make specific reference to the words the characters speak or to their actions to illustrate the points you want to make about the dead in ancient Athens, supplying enough detail to identify each scene or incident you mention. Approximately 300 words..Acces to the literary pieces required to write the essay can be found on the web.
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