Looking at Agamemnon

Agamemnon is the first of the three plays within the Oresteia trilogy and is considered to be one of Aeschylus’ greatest works. This collection of 12 essays, written by prominent international academics, brings together a wide range of topics surrounding Agamemnon from its relationship with ancient myth and ritual to its modern reception. There is a diverse array of discussion on the salient themes of murder, choice and divine agency. Other essays also offer new approaches to understanding the notions of wealth and the natural world which imbue the play, as well as a study of the philosophical and moral questions of choice and revenge.

Arguments are contextualized in terms of performance, history and society, discussing what the play meant to ancient audiences and how it is now received in the modern theatre. Intended for readers ranging from school students and undergraduates to teachers and those interested in drama (including practitioners), this volume includes a performer-friendly and accessible English translation by David Stuttard.

David Stuttard is an independent scholar and Fellow of Goodenough College, London. He has directed his own translations and adaptations of Greek drama throughout the UK and in classical theatres in Turkey and Albania. He is the founder of the theatre company Actors of Dionysus and has edited five ’Looking at’ volumes for Bloomsbury: Lysistrata (2010), Medea (2014), Bacchae (2016), Antigone (2017) and Ajax (2019).