The Oresteia - Ted Hughes

The Oresteia comprises three of the greatest plays of all time: Agamemnon, The Cheophori and The Eumenides. Concerned with the immediate aftermath of the Trojan War as it affects the accursed royal house of Atreus, it follows a singularly harrowing course, from the bloodiest domestic discord to divine intervention and reconciliation. Ted Hughes's translation was written in his most pared-down and powerfully driven verse, at once equal to Aeschylus's tragic vision and speaking directly to modern audiences and readers. The plays were first performed at the National Theatre in 1999 under the direction of Katie Mitchell.