Vengeance In The Oresteia

In the Oresteia, revenge is a major theme that can be seen throughout each of the tragedies. An example of this is when Clytemnestra kills her husband, Agamemnon, to avenge his crime of killing their daughter, Iphigenia. The timing of this murder is noteworthy because it occurs right after Agamemnon returns home from a great victory in Troy. The response that one might expect at this time from a queen who hasn’t seen her husband in years would be one that is joyful and happy to be reunited. The reason Aeschylus might have written the tragedy this way was to comment on the most prominent motive for which people act out upon. Rather than rejoicing in the fact that her husband is home and that they won the war, all Clytemnestra can think about