Abstract
The paper discusses how Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus are the three most significant Greek playwrights that have affected the development of modern drama. Aeschylus, the oldest of the playwrights existing in the Greek period, gave modern drama the actor, the scenery and the dialogue that is significant to how theatrical works have been constructed throughout the history of theatre. Sophocles added the third actor and then set about transforming the dialogue of the play in a manner that allowed theatrical work to develop with dramatic movement for the characters and the spectators. Euripides created the prologue to allow the audience to comprehend the world that had been created on the stage. However, the paper explains that Euripides also changed the manner in which gender was viewed in theatre and he gave women strength that affected not only the drama of his time, but the drama of the modern world as well.

Tags:euripides, sophocles, aeschylus

Abstract
In this article, the writer comments that when he was born, no one knew to christen Aeschylus the father of Greek drama and, as a result, the father of all western drama. The writer discusses that born near 525 B.C. close to Athens, Aeschylus was exposed to many of the things we associate with Athens including great drama, great wars and the Golden Age. The writer notes that Aeschylus wrote over eighty plays and maintains that because of his innovative ideas, Aeschylus is not only the father of Greek drama but of "all western drama". Aeschylus was no doubt a highly productive and creative writer of his time but it would be a great disservice to ignore the influence Aeschylus made on theater and how he not only viewed but created drama.

From the Paper
"Aeschylus was traditional and innovative and is not considered the father of western drama because he penned a few good plays. He is considered the father of modern drama because he incorporated new ideas into the art itself and managed to establish something that the audience could relate to as well as enjoy. Because of his ability to understand human nature and create believable characters, he stands as one of the most dominant dramatists of his time. His intuition to strike out and find new ground in the arena of drama can be seen in his addition of the second player and the impact this had on the theatrical community can still be seen today. His concepts helped change and shape the world of drama the way we know it now - a stage that represents the various aspects and emotions of life. Aeschylus' dream to think outside the box brings us a world in which characters seem more true to life because they interact with one another on the stage of life."

Tags:theater, writer, plays, dramatic, poet

Abstract
This paper presents a comparative and parallel study of the dramatic art of the most prominent Greek dramatists Aeschylus and Sophocles. The writer discusses the similarities and differences between the two tragic poets, both in terms of style and content, and explains how each dramatist uses the chorus. The writer also explains that where the dramatic art of Sophocles is characterized by accomplished symmetry and harmonious grace, that of Aeschylus is hard, grand and severe, and Aeschylus (referred to as the 'Master of the Grotesque') is rightly acknowledged as the inventor of scenic pomp and hyperbole. The writer believes that Sophocles' art of characterization is more complex than Aeschylus and explains how Sophocles uses the third actor to place the audience in a position to judge the chief character from at least three points of view. The writer further asserts that unlike Aeschylus, who is simple and direct, Sophocles carries an explicit irony in his plays and he presents not only the problems, but suggests the solutions also to the intricacies of human life in relation to the cosmic and social order. The writer concludes that, as a modern reader, Sophocles is the greater of the two dramatists.

From the Paper
"Of the precious and inexhaustible treasure of the Greek endeavours in the realm of tragedy, very little has come down to the readers. We are aware of the names of a few tragedians with Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides being the being the most prominent. And with these three too, a very little of the whole number of works is left. The extant dramas are those that had been selected by the Alexandrian critics for the study of Greek literature. The reason for being their choice by the critics was their affordability as the best illustration of the various styles of tragic art. Regarding Aeschylus and Sophocles, (the two subjects of this term paper) we are left with seven pieces remaining of each."

Tags:cosmic, and, social, order, drama, Greek, literature, irony, stage, plays, epics

Abstract
This paper reviews Aeschylus' "Oresteia" in which Aeschylus uses the Agamemnon myth to convey his messages. It examines how Aeschylus' main purpose in the "Oresteia" is not to explore the psychology of his characters but to narrate the story of the House of Atreus, its theological aspects and its relevance to the contemporary political situation. It focuses on Aeschylus' use of the story of the House of Atreus in order to make relevant points about the society he lived in and whether he was successful in doing so. Also discussed is the use of charter myth and gender.

From the Paper
"First of all, the story of the House of Atreus is not only of one generation, but in fact includes the terrible happenings between Atreus and his brother Thyestes, and then the abduction of Helen from Menelaus; these things are implied by Aeschylus in a very circumspect manner but not actually mentioned although they are an integral part of the Atreus curse, they are not necessary to the plot and therefore not included. Aeschylus gets away with this because his play is not original material as such, it is based on a myth widely known throughout his culture, he can safely assume that everyone watching the play will already know the tale and will therefore "fill in the gaps" themselves. This is, of course, a major point; would Aeschylus tell a story for its own merits if he knew that his projected audience was already aware of the outcome of the tale?"

Tags:aeigisthus, agamemnon, areopagus, athens, clytemnestra, delian, electra, eumenides, gods, menelaus, thyestes, troy

Abstract
This paper explains that the trilogy of the great classic dramas by Aeschylus, which comprise the "Oresteia", embodies the competing concepts of justice as administered by a stable and unified state versus justice as administered at an individual or family level that arise out of revenge. The author points out that these dramas show the intense and often brutal conflict that existed between these two very different views of law. The paper relates that, in the end, the dramas succeed not as much in depicting an existing social reality but rather in idealistically propagandizing in favor of the importance of an objective administration of justice. The author examines each of the three Aeschylus plays in order to keep an essentially linear presentation in respect to its dramatic unfoldment and resolution.

Table of Contents
"Agamemnon"
"Choephori"
"Eumenides"

From the Paper
"The core problem of subjective justice, or the rule of personal vengeance, is of course its unending cyclical nature ("Act for act, wound for wound!" cries Clytemnestra in the Agamemnon, l. 1555.) Crimes are punished, but the punishment itself becomes the seed of a future crime which itself requires further vengeance, with no obvious end. This has long been recognized as a universal situation with regard to this sort of justice, and the tragedies of the Greeks, most notably the trilogy herein examined, make it their theme to address this ancient cycle."

Tags:city-states, revenge, punishment, aegisthus, agamemnon

Abstract
This paper explains that, in the play "The Eumenides", Aeschylus,
while using many tragic elements to move the plot to its conclusion, nonetheless employs the unique feature of a positive ending, which is not contrived but rather well constructed from the elements throughout the play. The author points out that Aeschylus uses consistent symbolism and does not change the characters or the symbols in the story; instead, the changes occur from within and very gradually. The paper relates that the evolution of the play echoes the evolution within the depicted society during which conflicting forces were at work and the savage practices of the past were being replaced by the civilization of the new paradigm.

Tale of Contents
The Furies
Sacrifice and Redemption

From the Paper
"This is the point where forgiveness rather than revenge comes to the forefront of the play. Athena's argument rests on the new order rather than the old. The emerging civilization is to be based upon understanding, forgiveness and atonement. Indeed, the foregoing events in the play have shown that violence begets violence. Revenge upon revenge is exacted, with never an end to the blood and death of citizens that could otherwise have proved worthy members of society. In the ultimate show of forgiveness and atonement, Athena shows that the Furies can have a place in the new society. This however comes not with a warning, but with an assumption that even the Furies have a sense of justice."

Tags:construction, symbolism, evolution, zeus, outcast

Abstract
This paper explains that the plays "Libation Bearers" and "Eumenides" are part of a trilogy of ancient Greek plays written by Aeschylus telling the story of King Agamemnon, his wife Clytaemnestra and their children. The author points out that, appearing in these plays, the Furies, who are the three daughters of Mother Earth, represent man's evil and hold him accountable for his evil actions thereby moving from justice to social change and merciful reform. The paper relates that the Furies, creatures of the underworld who become creatures of Athens, show that change and growth is good for society and good for individuals, like Orestes.

From the Paper
"The Furies are not evil, they avenge evil deeds, but they certainly are frightening and cause tumult around them. As they pursue Orestes throughout this play, they do indeed seem evil and vengeful. They can smell the blood of Orestes murdered mother, and that is how they track him all the way to Athens. Ultimately, the Furies could destroy Orestes, but Queen Athena intervenes, and changes the entire aspect of Orestes torment when she takes him to trial before a judge and jury. The Furies represent an old, archaic form of justice based on revenge, and that is another reason makes them ugly. Revenge and its' motives are often just as ugly as the Furies, and so, they represent a form of justice that may be quick, but is not always fair or even just. The Furies are living in the past, and Orestes, with his crime, will pull them into the future, where they can change the way they view the world and are viewed by the world."

Tags:underworld, avenge, athena, accountable, growth

Abstract
This paper analyzes how various representations of light and dark in Aeschylus's "Agamemnon", part of the "Oresteia", seem to mirror masculinity and femininity, respectively. It explains how these images also show how the play is mostly about how the female attempts to usurp male power, ultimately achieving it. Nevertheless, because there can never be absolute darkness or absolute light, the overthrow of the male can only be temporary.

From the Paper
"In Aeschylus's Agamemnon, the use of light and dark revolves around their relation to the masculine and the feminine, respectively. Throughout the play, brilliant metaphors and images are used to express this idea, most obviously when related to Agamemnon and Clytaemestra. These images also show how the play is mostly about how the female attempts to usurp male power, ultimately achieving it. Nevertheless, because there can never be absolute darkness or absolute light, the overthrow of the male can only be temporary."

Tags:clytaemestra, clytemnestra, greek, mythology, orestia, symbolism, tragedy

Abstract
This paper discusses how Homer, Sophocles and Aeschylus were all writing about life, essentially, in which chaos and order are to be found in almost equal measure. Art, adhering as it does itself to some general rules, seems to be, like science and religion, a means of providing the world with some kind of moral order and of keeping chaos at bay.

Abstract
Examines the relevance of gender-specific themes in the three plays of the ORESTEIA trilogy by Aeschylus. AGAMEMNON, THE LIBATION BEARERS (CHOEPHORIA) & EUMENIDIS (FURIES). Discusses curse of the House of Atreus & the Trojan War. Plots. Characters; their motivations, actions & relationships. The important role Agamemnon plays in sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia, which sets the tragedy of the triology into motion.

From the Paper
"This research analyzes gender issues in Aeschylus's Oresteia trilogy, comprising the plays Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers (Choephoroi), and Eumenides. The relevance of gender-specific themes that emerge in the plays will be discussed.


The Oresteia cannot be understood without reference to the curse of the house of Atreus of Argos, which is bound up with the legend of the Trojan war. The curse began when Atreus killed sons of his brother Thyestes, who had seduced Atreus's wife. After a banquet in which Atreus fed Thyestes's children to him, Thyestes laid a curse on Atreus's descendants. Atreus's two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, married two sisters, Clytemnestra and Helen, respectively, and when Helen either eloped with or was abducted by Paris to Troy, Agamemnon, like Menelaus, assembled an army of Greeks and prepared to sail for Troy. But that..."