130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Aeschylus: Oresteia

By Aeschylus
0.0 (0 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Aeschylus' Oresteia dramatizes a relentless cycle of vengeance within a single family, where each generation is compelled to avenge the previous one's bloodshed. The lines between right and wrong blur in this unforgiving system.

The narrative culminates with Orestes, who kills his mother to settle the score, leading to a resolution that combines divine insight and legal process. This ushers in a new era of justice, stabilising both family and society, set against the backdrop of ancient Athens.

The trilogy is celebrated for its majestic poetry and theatrical grandeur, marking the pivotal shift from myth to history.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$71600

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in classical literature, ancient Greek tragedy, and theatre studies.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Aeschylus' Oresteia is a tragedy of inescapable killing within one family. This new and close translation tries to preserve its theatrical and poetic qualities: introductory and explanatory matter emphasizes the interconnection of scenes, ideas, and language which distinguishes this work.

This new and close translation of Aeschylus' Oresteia preserves its theatrical and poetic qualities.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Aeschylus: Oresteia is a tragedy of inescapable killing within one family, such that each generation must avenge it in kind. Right and wrong are ambiguous in this harsh system. Their conflict is resolved, and the family saved from extinction, in the case of Orestes, the latest and matricidal killer.

The gods' wisdom and the human process together inaugurate a way of just conduct which will ensure stable families and community; and the exemplary setting for this transition from the mythic to the historical is Aeschylus' own city of Athens.

The Oresteia is majestic as theatre and poetry; its recent successful return to the stage has confirmed its very high place in world drama. This new and close translation tries to preserve these qualities: introductory and explanatory matter emphasises the interconnection of scenes, ideas, and language which distinguishes this unique work, the only trilogy to survive from Greek tragedy.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780198149675

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 22 August 2002

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oxford University Press

Illustration: 1 map

Contributors:

  • Translated by Christopher Collard

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 145.0mm

Height: 224.0mm

Weight: 476g

Pages: 312

Collections

Aeschylus Arts & Culture Education & Reference Non-Fiction

About the Author

Christopher Collard was Professor of Classics at the University of Wales, Swansea from 1975 until his retirement in 1996.

Also by Aeschylus

View all
  • The Oresteia
    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-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, its spirit of struggle and regeneration is eternal.
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Greek Tragedy
    Greek Tragedy brings together the masterpieces of classical tragedy in one volume, making it the ideal single-volume introduction for theatre-goers, actors, general readers, and students of Classics, English Literature, and Drama. Agememnon is the first part of Aeschylus's Orestian trilogy, where the leader of the Greek army returns from the Trojan War only to be murdered by his treacherous wife,...
    By Euripides and Sophocles and Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    17% off
    Prometheus Bound and Other Plays
    The first of the great Greek tragedians, Aeschylus wrote a large number of plays, of which seven survive. Of the four included in this volume, The Persians is unique in Greek tragedy in having as its subject matter a recent historical event, the defeat of the Persians at the famous battle of Salamis. The other three, Prometheus, The Suppliants and...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Persians and Other Plays
    A new translation by Alan H. Sommerstein of four of Aeschylus' most celebrated plays. Aeschylus (525-456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. The Persians, the only Greek tragedy to deal with events from recent Athenian history, depicts the final defeat of Persia in the...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Greek Tragedies
    Chicago's renowned translations of the greatest surviving plays of ancient Greece, collected into a single volume. Drawn from the authoritative third editions of David Grene and Richmond Lattimore's collections of the complete Greek tragedies, expertly updated by Mark Griffith and Glenn W. Most, this collection brings together seventeen of the greatest surviving plays of ancient Greece. Combining accuracy, poetic immediacy,...
    By Aeschylus and Sophocles and Euripides
    Paperback
    $6400
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Aeschylus II
    Aeschylus II contains "The Oresteia," translated by Richmond Lattimore, and fragments of "Proteus," translated by Mark Griffith. Sixty years ago, the University of Chicago Press undertook a momentous project: a new translation of the Greek tragedies that would be the ultimate resource for teachers, students, and readers. They succeeded. Under the expert management of eminent classicists David Grene and Richmond...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Fragments
    Fragments
    Aeschylus (ca. 525–456 BCE), the dramatist who made Athenian tragedy one of the world's great art forms, witnessed the establishment of democracy at Athens and fought against the Persians at Marathon. He won the tragic prize at the City Dionysia thirteen times between ca. 499 and 458, and in his later years was probably victorious almost every time he put...
    By Aeschylus
    Hardback
    $10200
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Oresteia: Agamemnon. Libation-Bearers. Eumenides
    Oresteia: Agamemnon. Libation-Bearers. Eumenides
    Aeschylus (ca. 525–456 BCE), the dramatist who made Athenian tragedy one of the world's great art forms, witnessed the establishment of democracy at Athens and fought against the Persians at Marathon. He won the tragic prize at the City Dionysia thirteen times between ca. 499 and 458, and in his later years was probably victorious almost every time he put...
    By Aeschylus
    Hardback
    $10700
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Aeschylus Plays: I
    Aeschylus Plays: I
    Classic plays reissued in the new Methuen Greek Classics series in a distinctive style. The Persians, based on the destruction of the Persian invaders in 480BC, breaks with the Greek tradition of purely dramatising myths to deal with the recent past and with characters who would have been familiar to its first audience in 472BC. Prometheus Bound stages the stand-off...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $3899
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Oresteia
    Oresteia
    Agamemnon Libation Bearers Eumenides Aeschylus' Oresteia is the only trilogy to survive from Greek tragedy, and the religious and moral ideas it enacts afterwards influenced a great dramatic genre, as well as giving its three plays their lasting significance. In this family history, Fate and the gods decree that each generation will repeat the crimes and endure the suffering of...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Prometheus Bound
    Prometheus Bound
    This is the best Prometheus Bound in English. Deborah Roberts' translation is accurate, readable, and true to the original in idiom, imagery, and the combination of a high style with occasional colloquialism. The informative notes and perceptive Introduction will help readers to experience the play with heightened pleasure and understanding. Seth L. Schein, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of California,...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $2199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Complete Aeschylus
    The Complete Aeschylus
    Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly re-create the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. Aeschylus' Oresteia, the only ancient tragic trilogy to...
    By Aeschylus
    Paperback
    $5000
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    By Jane Ussher
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    I’ll Believe in Anything
    From Jacob Tierney, the creator of Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and Accent Aigu, comes I’ll Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reid’s blockbuster Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 and immediately took the world by storm. I’ll...
    By Jacob Tierney
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    16% off
    New Release
    Shirl's Pick Shirl's Pick
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir Home Again.This is more than a rock story. Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    By Jon Toogood
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    21% off
    The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017—revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)—critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    On Sale
    20% off
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    By Monique Fiso
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    A Life in Lyrics
    Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...
    By Freddie Mercury
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Birdlands Birdlands
    New Release
    Birdlands
    A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...
    By Edin Whitehead
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    21% off
    This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    By Layne Staley
    Hardback
    $5800
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Split Enz
    New Release
    Split Enz
    'My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.' Sam Neill Split Enz were never designed to fit. Emerging from art school mischief in early-1970s New Zealand, they turned pop into surreal theatre: costume, character and melody colliding in a rock band that refused to behave like one. At the centre of that vision was Noel Crombie—percussionist, performer and the...
    By Michael Dwyer and Noel Crombie
    Hardback
    $5199
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Artist's Way
    The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a transformative guidebook that has captivated millions, including luminaries such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Tim Ferriss. With its profound ability to inspire and elevate, this book invites readers to embark on an enriching creative journey, fostering a deeper connection to one's artistic process and sense of purpose. The heart of Cameron's groundbreaking programme...
    By Julia Cameron
    Paperback
    $3700
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Mah Jong Player's Companion
    Since the arrival on the market of Patricia Thompson and Betty Maloney's two previous books, The Game of Mah Jong Illustrated and Improve Your Mah Jong, a wide range of hands from many parts of the world has been sent to them. In this player's companion, the authors have put together a cross-filled reference guide where over 120 hands, illustrated...
    By Patricia Thompson and Betty Maloney
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Arts & Culture lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all