Orestia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A dramatic trilogy originating from ancient Greek literature, revolving around themes of vengeance and justice across familial relationships
2. A collection of plays exploring moral and philosophical dilemmas through the tragic events that unfold in the lives of its central characters
3. A seminal work in Greek tragedy that delves into the cycle of guilt and retribution within a royal family’s saga

Etymology: "Orestia" is the Latinized form of "Oresteia," the title of Aeschylus's trilogy of tragedies, which won first prize at the Athenian City Dionysia festival in 458 BCE. The three plays, "Agamemnon," "Choephoroi," and "Eumenides," follow the house of Atreus, beginning with Agamemnon's return from Troy and his murder by his wife Clytemnestra, and ending with their son Orestes being tried for matricide. The title is a patronymic-style derivative of "Orestes," the name of the son at the centre of the final two plays. The name "Orestes" itself is of uncertain origin; ancient writers and modern scholars have proposed several etymologies, none of them firmly established. What is clear is that the trilogy gave the family saga its enduring title, and that the name has been used ever since to label the story as a whole rather than a single hero.

Synonyms: Orestes, Greek tragedy, Oresteia