The Eumenides: The Prologue at Delphi
The recap, key beats, and evidence for The Prologue at Delphi, without reopening the whole book.
Section recap · 2 min read
What happens in The Prologue at Delphi.
The play opens at Apollo's temple in Delphi, where the Pythia (the priestess) goes in to prophesy and comes stumbling back out, horrified. Inside, she found Orestes at the altar, covered in blood, clutching a sword and an olive branch. Surrounding him are the Furies, sleeping but monstrous, ancient goddesses who hunt down killers of kin. Apollo appears and promises to protect Orestes, then sends him fleeing toward Athens. The ghost of Clytemnestra rises to wake the sleeping Furies and goad them into resuming the chase. This scene sets up the central conflict: Apollo's protection of Orestes versus the Furies' ancient claim that matricide must be punished.
The beats worth remembering.
The Pythia's Terrified Retreat
The priestess enters the temple calmly, then crawls back out on all fours, unable to speak at first. Her reaction tells the audience that what's inside is beyond ordinary horror, and it introduces the Furies before we even see them properly.
Apollo Sends Orestes to Athens
Apollo tells Orestes to run to Athens and put himself under Athena's protection. This is the god actively intervening in a mortal's legal fate, which becomes the whole argument of the next act.
Clytemnestra's Ghost Wakes the Furies
The ghost of the murdered queen appears and scolds the sleeping Furies for letting Orestes escape. She reminds them that they owe her a debt. This moment keeps the Furies motivated and frames the coming trial as unfinished business from the previous plays.
The moments you can actually use later.
The Pythia's Description of the Furies
The priestess describes the creatures in the temple as unlike any monster she has seen before, neither human nor divine in appearance, and says they make the space sacred to Apollo feel defiled.
Apollo's Promise of Protection
Apollo tells Orestes he will not abandon him, that he ordered the killing and therefore shares responsibility, and that Orestes should seek Athena's judgment in Athens.
What to carry forward.
The Furies Represent an Older Order
The Furies predate the Olympian gods and operate by a simple rule: blood demands blood. Their conflict with Apollo is generational, not just personal. That tension is what the whole play has to resolve.
Apollo's Sponsorship Complicates Orestes' Guilt
Orestes killed his mother on Apollo's direct command. That fact makes the question of guilt genuinely complicated, and it's the reason a trial, rather than simple punishment, becomes necessary.
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How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.