Beyond Death in the Oresteia
Poetics, Ethics, and Politics

Argues that diverse representations of the afterlife in the Oresteia require reevaluation of its fundamental ethical and political dilemmas.

Amit Shilo (Author)

9781108832748, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 September 2022

260 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.53 kg

'Shilo's prose style is poetic in a way that feels deliberate, but never contrived. This makes the book a real pleasure to read, and only rarely misfires or obscures comprehension. All in all, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to students and scholars of tragedy, as well as those researching perceptions of death in the ancient world.' Alexandra Hardwick, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

The Oresteia is permeated with depictions of the afterlife, which have never been examined together. In this book Amit Shilo analyses their intertwined and conflicting implications. He argues for a 'poetics of multiplicity' and 'poetics of the beyond' that inform the ongoing debates over justice, fate, ethics, and politics in the trilogy. The book presents novel, textually-grounded readings of Cassandra's fate, Clytemnestra's ghost scene, mourning ritual, hero cult, and punishment by Hades. It offers a fresh perspective on the political thought of the trilogy by contrasting the ethical focus of the Erinyes and Hades with Athena's insistence on divine unity and warfare. Shedding new light on the trilogy as a whole, this book is crucial reading for students and scholars of classical literature and religion. This title is available as open access on Cambridge Core.

1. The herald of the Agamemnon: Accounting the dead
2. The Chorus of the Agamemnon: Human views on the beyond. 3. Prophecy on the banks of the Acheron: Thinking Cassandra past her doom
4. Afterlives at the tomb of Agamemnon
5. Heroes in the Oresteia
6. The ghost of Clytemnestra
7. The tablet-writing mind of Hades: Omniscient ethical judgment.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Theatre studies [AN]