Prepared by: Sami
ul Haq
Submitted to: Madam Atyha Rehman
Greek and
Classical Drama
08 September, 2014
Characters of the Libation Bearers
The Libation Bearers is second
part of “The Orestia Trilogy of Aeschylus” ; that how a Trojan prince stole Helen [1],
leading to 10 years of war between Greek and Troy. Agamemnon sacrificed
Iphigenia to get favorable wind for the Greek ships and thus became succeeded
in his mission. On return he was killed by his wife Clytemnestra to avenge the
death of Iphigenia. Agamemnon son Orestes was exiled and deprived from
inheritance for the fear of avenging his father. He returned and finally
avenges his father’s death.
Major Characters of the Libation bearers
are the following:
(i)
Orestes
(ii)
Pylades
(iii)
Electra
(iv)
Clytemnestra
(v)
Aegisthus
(vi)
Celissa
(vii)
Chorus and its Leader
Brief discussions of these
characters are as under:
Orestes:
He is protagonist
of the play and the play is named after him, he was exiled by his mother for
fear of avenge. He remain in exile with king of Phoices and was preparing to
avenge his father’s death in the course of the play, he is well spoken and
sharp as for as the matter of avenge is concerned. He was ordered by Apollo
through Delphic Oracles which is in Phoician territory to avenge his father’s
death.
Pylades:
He was companion of Orestes, the
son of Phoican king, he remain present and silent throughout the play and spoke
only once when Orestes question him : “Can I my mother spare? speak, Pylades” he replied; “Choose thou the hate of all men, not of gods.”
Electra:
When Clytemnestra kill her husband;
she exiled Orestes and reduced Electra to serventitude in her own house, she
was therefore helpless and was nourishing strong hatred for her mother, she were
always longing for her brother to return, she joined Orestes for calling his father’s
spirit, she was devoted to God, capable of great love and it was her concern
for her father that she joined Orestes to avenge his death.
Clytemnestra:
She is powerful wife of
Agamemnon, ruler of Argos, sister of Helen ,mother to Orestes and Electra.
During 10 years absence of her husband
she became wife to Aegisthus, she is the tragic hero of the “Libation Bearer”.
She kill her husband to avenge Iphiginia’s death and exiled her son for fear of
avenge. She was acting , behaving and facing affairs like a man, she was much
persuasive but her argument were in vain for Orertes as when he was about to
kill her she said:
“Stay, child, and fear to
strike. O son, this breast
Pillowed thine head full
oft, while, drowsed with sleep,
Thy
toothless mouth drew mother's milk from me.”
Orestes
replied:
Follow; I will to slay
thee at his side.
With him whom in his life
thou loved'st more
Than Agamemnon, sleep in
death, the meed
For hate
where love, and love where hate was due!
Aegisthus:
He is the son of Thyestes, he
play little and crucial role in the play, when Atreus served his own children
to his brother Thyestes; he called down a curse on the house of Atreus, Aegisthus
was dedicated to avenge his brothers and became succeeded in his plan by
slaying Agamemnon through his wife, his brutality made chorus contemptible
towards him.
Celissa:
She
was nurse of Orestes, appears once on stage when Orestes told Clytemnestra
about Orestes death, she said that she raised Orestes from birth and breast
feeding him when he was angry. It was she who amend Clytemnestra message on the
wishes of chorus and told Aegisthus to come and meet stranger.
Chorus and
chorus leader:
Chorus
is part of every Greek tragedy; they are different type of peoples. In Libation
Bearer it is of foreign slave women- the conquest of war by Agamemnon. This play took the name “Libation Bearer” from
chorus who were there for offering libation at the tomb of Agamemnon. Chorus
represent common interest, interpretation and also comments on every action,
sometimes it also suggest course of action and foretells story, in “ Libation
Bearer” chorus is against Clytemenstra and Aegisthus as they believe that
Orestes is the agent of justice , that’s why it was the chorus who commanded
Celissa to inform Aegisthus to come without guard to meet Orestes.
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