The Prophecy In The Oresteia
Some of the most intriguing moments in The Oresteia come from the brief moments of prophecy. A form of prophecy appears in all three plays and all in different ways. However, both Cassandra’s prophecy and Clytaemnestra’s dream point strongly to the future, as well as the past, while the prophecy of the Pythia simply states the facts of what is in Apollo’s temple. The prophecies in Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers prove to be more significant to the plot than the prophecy in The Eumenides. The first prophecy introduced occurs in Agamemnon after Agamemnon has returned to his house and left the Trojan princess, Cassandra, outside with the chorus, the old men of Argos. Cassandra begins to prophesize, seeing both the future and the past history
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of the house of Atreus. In one of her fits of prophecy, she cries out: “’Look out! look out! – Ai, drag the great bull from the mate! – a thrash of robes, she traps him – writhing – black horn glints, twists – she gores him through! And now he buckles, look, the bath swirls red – There’s stealth and murder in the cauldron, do you hear?’” (A 1127-1131)
Cassandra sees Agamemnon’s death in the bath Clytaemnestra draws for him and her own death as well. Furthermore, after she prophesizes the future ending of the play, she also prophesizes what will occur in later years. Cassandra says: “’There will come another to avenge us, born to kill his mother, born his father’s champion.’” (A 1302-1304)
Cassandra’s prophecy here indicates Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra. Clytaemnestra says earlier in Agamemnon that she has sent Orestes away to protect him, and Cassandra sees his return to avenge his father’s death. Cassandra’s prophecies in Agamemnon are significant devices of foreshadowing and help propel the first two plays in The Oresteia. The next important prophecy in The Oresteia occurs in The Libation Bearers. Orestes has finally returned to Argos to avenge his father’s death, and as he mourns at Agamemnon’s grave, he comes across his sister, Electra, and a group of slave women who have come to pour libations. He learns that Clytaemnestra has sent the libations due to a dream she had, and Orestes inquires what the dream was. The slave women tell him that Clytaemnestra dreamt she bore a snake, and as she fed it milk from her breast, it drew blood. Clytaemnestra awoke frightened and sent libations to be poured over Agamemnon’s grave, in the hopes it would appease the dead. Orestes, upon hearing of the dream, interprets it and says: “’If the serpent came from the same place as I, and slept in the bands that swaddled me, and its jaws spread wide for the breast that nursed me into life and clots stained the milk, mother’s milk, and she cried in fear and agony – so be it.
As she bred this sign, this violent prodigy so she dies by violence. I turn serpent, I kill her. So the vision says.’” (LB 530-537)
Thus Orestes interprets the prophecy as him killing his mother as revenge for his father’s death. Cassandra had foreseen this in Agamemnon, and it has come true in The Libation Bearers, as evidenced by Clytaemnestra’s dream and Orestes’ return and subsequent murder of his mother. Again, the prophecies from Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers are shown to be integral to the plot. Finally, the prophecy in The Eumenides is introduced. It is spoken at the beginning of the play by the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. She has entered into Apollo’s temple to find the Furies and Orestes there, and she stumbles back out in terror. She speaks of Orestes, saying: “’he holds the seat where suppliants sit for purging; his hands dripping blood, and his sword just drawn, and he holds a branch (it must have topped an olive) wreathed with a fine tuft of wool, all piety, fleece gleaming white.’” (E 43-47)
The Pythia merely describes Orestes in the statement, neither acknowledging his past, nor prophesying his future. She then notices the
Furies: “’women, sleeping, nestling against the benches… women? No, Gorgons I’d call them; but then with Gorgons you’d see the grim, inhuman…’” (E 49-52)
Again, the Pythia only attempts to discern what the Furies are; she does not appear to have any sort of prophecy or knowledge about their powers or future. After she describes the terrifying scene she has witnessed, she then states that Apollo is the only one who can cleanse his temple and leaves. The Pythia is not integral to the plot of The Eumenides, as Cassandra and the slave women describing the dream were to Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers. The Pythia also does not reveal any information about the future in the vision she sees, thus diminishing her role. Therefore, after looking at the prophecies in all three plays, one can see the greater importance in the prophecies of Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers. Both of the first two prophecies propel the plot forward and foreshadow important future events, while the Pythia’s vision simply shows the people residing in Apollo’s temple when she enters. Cassandra and Clytaemnestra trump the vision of the Pythia.
of the house of Atreus. In one of her fits of prophecy, she cries out: “’Look out! look out! – Ai, drag the great bull from the mate! – a thrash of robes, she traps him – writhing – black horn glints, twists – she gores him through! And now he buckles, look, the bath swirls red – There’s stealth and murder in the cauldron, do you hear?’” (A 1127-1131)
Cassandra sees Agamemnon’s death in the bath Clytaemnestra draws for him and her own death as well. Furthermore, after she prophesizes the future ending of the play, she also prophesizes what will occur in later years. Cassandra says: “’There will come another to avenge us, born to kill his mother, born his father’s champion.’” (A 1302-1304)
Cassandra’s prophecy here indicates Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra. Clytaemnestra says earlier in Agamemnon that she has sent Orestes away to protect him, and Cassandra sees his return to avenge his father’s death. Cassandra’s prophecies in Agamemnon are significant devices of foreshadowing and help propel the first two plays in The Oresteia. The next important prophecy in The Oresteia occurs in The Libation Bearers. Orestes has finally returned to Argos to avenge his father’s death, and as he mourns at Agamemnon’s grave, he comes across his sister, Electra, and a group of slave women who have come to pour libations. He learns that Clytaemnestra has sent the libations due to a dream she had, and Orestes inquires what the dream was. The slave women tell him that Clytaemnestra dreamt she bore a snake, and as she fed it milk from her breast, it drew blood. Clytaemnestra awoke frightened and sent libations to be poured over Agamemnon’s grave, in the hopes it would appease the dead. Orestes, upon hearing of the dream, interprets it and says: “’If the serpent came from the same place as I, and slept in the bands that swaddled me, and its jaws spread wide for the breast that nursed me into life and clots stained the milk, mother’s milk, and she cried in fear and agony – so be it.
As she bred this sign, this violent prodigy so she dies by violence. I turn serpent, I kill her. So the vision says.’” (LB 530-537)
Thus Orestes interprets the prophecy as him killing his mother as revenge for his father’s death. Cassandra had foreseen this in Agamemnon, and it has come true in The Libation Bearers, as evidenced by Clytaemnestra’s dream and Orestes’ return and subsequent murder of his mother. Again, the prophecies from Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers are shown to be integral to the plot. Finally, the prophecy in The Eumenides is introduced. It is spoken at the beginning of the play by the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. She has entered into Apollo’s temple to find the Furies and Orestes there, and she stumbles back out in terror. She speaks of Orestes, saying: “’he holds the seat where suppliants sit for purging; his hands dripping blood, and his sword just drawn, and he holds a branch (it must have topped an olive) wreathed with a fine tuft of wool, all piety, fleece gleaming white.’” (E 43-47)
The Pythia merely describes Orestes in the statement, neither acknowledging his past, nor prophesying his future. She then notices the
Furies: “’women, sleeping, nestling against the benches… women? No, Gorgons I’d call them; but then with Gorgons you’d see the grim, inhuman…’” (E 49-52)
Again, the Pythia only attempts to discern what the Furies are; she does not appear to have any sort of prophecy or knowledge about their powers or future. After she describes the terrifying scene she has witnessed, she then states that Apollo is the only one who can cleanse his temple and leaves. The Pythia is not integral to the plot of The Eumenides, as Cassandra and the slave women describing the dream were to Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers. The Pythia also does not reveal any information about the future in the vision she sees, thus diminishing her role. Therefore, after looking at the prophecies in all three plays, one can see the greater importance in the prophecies of Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers. Both of the first two prophecies propel the plot forward and foreshadow important future events, while the Pythia’s vision simply shows the people residing in Apollo’s temple when she enters. Cassandra and Clytaemnestra trump the vision of the Pythia.