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Scenes
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The Libation Bearers has 14 scenes.
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Scenes14 items
Prologue: Orestes at the Tomb
Orestes returns to Argos after years of exile and stands at his father Agamemnon's tomb. He leaves a lock of his hair as an offering and spots a group of women approaching.
Parodos: Entry of the Libation Bearers
The chorus of enslaved women enters carrying libations to pour at Agamemnon's tomb. They have been sent by Clytemnestra, who had a disturbing dream and hopes the offerings will qu…
Kommos: Lamentation at the Tomb
Orestes reveals himself to Electra at the tomb. After some hesitation and proof of identity, the siblings recognize each other.
First Stasimon: Ode on the Power of Fate
The chorus sings about the nature of fate, the persistence of bloodshed, and the way violence in a family line tends to produce more violence.
First Episode: The Plan of Vengeance
Orestes lays out the plan to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. He explains that Apollo has promised terrible punishment if he fails to act and has given specific instructions.
Second Stasimon: Ode on Crimes of Women
The chorus sings about history's most notorious women who committed terrible acts against their families and lovers. The ode builds a case that female passion and treachery are an…
Second Episode: Orestes and Pylades Arrive as Strangers
Orestes and Pylades show up at the palace gate disguised as travelers from Phocis. Orestes claims to carry news of his own death.
Third Stasimon: Ode on Justice
The chorus reflects on the idea that justice demands blood for blood. The ode celebrates the arrival of Orestes and anticipates that the house of Agamemnon will finally be restore…
Third Episode: The Nurse and the Altered Message
The nurse Cilissa is sent to fetch Aegisthus with his bodyguards, as Clytemnestra instructed. The chorus intercepts her and convinces her to change the message: tell Aegisthus to…
Fourth Stasimon: Ode Invoking Hermes
The chorus calls on Zeus, the gods of the underworld, and Hermes to support Orestes as he prepares to act. The ode is a prayer for success.
Fourth Episode: Aegisthus Summoned and Slain
A servant arrives at the palace and tricks Aegisthus into coming out by pretending to carry news about Orestes being dead.
Fifth Episode: Clytemnestra Confronted
Clytemnestra hears the noise and quickly understands that Aegisthus is dead. When Orestes appears before her with a sword, she realizes her son has come to kill her.
Sixth Episode: The Killing of Clytemnestra
Orestes takes Clytemnestra inside and kills her. The Chorus reflects on what has happened, weighing the justice of the act against its horror.
Exodus: Orestes Displays the Bodies and Flees the Furies
Orestes brings out the bodies of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus and displays the robe that was used to trap Agamemnon, trying to justify what he has done.
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