1. What do you make of Clytemnestra? Is she a femme-fatale, or a righteous bringer of vengeance on her husband? How does she justify her actions?
2. Pay close attention to the choruses, especially the first one. What do they have to say about justice, the gods' concern for human affairs, and Agamemnon? Is what they say corroborated or contradicted by what happens in the play?
3. Is the chorus a spokesman for the playwright, or a character in its own right? How does the chorus relate to Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, and Cassandra?
4. Why does Aeschylus include the long speech about the beacon fires?
5. What is the effect of the herald's report?
6. What do you think of Agamemnon? Is he punished for his wrongdoing, or is he wrongfully murdered? Why does he enter so late in the play?
7. What does Cassandra contribute to the play? What do we learn from her ravings? Does the chorus learn anything from her?
8. Consider the staging of this play. Think about who goes in and out of the house throughout the play: what do you find? How does this contribute to the effect of the play? Why does Aeschylus have Agamemnon enter the house walking on crimson cloth?
9. How does the entrance of Aegisthus at play' s end affect our response to the play as a whole?
1. What is the role of the chorus here? How do they affect the audience's attitudes towards the other characters? How do the affect the action of the play?
2. Why does Pylades say nothing until the very end of the play?
3. Consider what the audience will see on stage at the end of this play. Would the sight look familiar? What is the effect of such a visual echo?
4. Are there any themes in the choruses of this play continued from the Agamemnon?
5. Why does Aeschylus spend such a long time at the beginning of the play with the song of mourning at Agamemnon's tomb?
6. What is the role of Electra?
7. Is Orestes justified in his actions? Does he have any choice?
8. Is Clytemnestra different now from who she was in the Agamemnon?
9. What does the play suggest about the role of the gods in human lives?
1. This is one of the only extant Greek tragedies in which the scene changes (from Delphi to Athens). Why do you think Aeschylus used such an unusual staging?
2. Why is the prologue spoken by the Pythia?
3. The Eumenides are the most striking chorus in all of Greek tragedy (their appearance allegedly caused women to have miscarriages). What is their effect? What do they stand for?
4. What do you make of Apollo? Is he a noble bringer of progress, or a selfish quibbler?
5. Evaluate the arguments of both sides in the trial of Orestes. What principles do the two sides take for granted? Which arguments are best? What do the arguments suggest about the differences between men and women?
6. Consider the visual effect of the "binding song" (299-396): what would it look like?
7. Is justice served in the final decision? What is the role of Athena?
8. What would be the visual effect of the final procession?