This accessible edition for students brings the Agamemnon, Aeschylus' opening play in the Oresteia trilogy, to life for first-time readers. A hugely popular play in antiquity and with a rich reception history to the present day, this is an essential play for students of classics, drama and the canon of western literature. Leah Himmelhoch provides a helpful guide for students and instructors wishing to study and teach the play, building on her over twenty-five years of experience teaching college and university students. A quick introduction sets out Agamemnon's historical, literary, and performative context, its use of imagery and themes (especially gender conflict and the perversion of sacrificial ritual), and its subsequent literary and cultural impact while extensive commentary notes guide students through every line of the Greek text. Difficult passages are carefully explained while the power and beauty of the language is brought out at every opportunity. Himmelhoch's commentary also offers a companion website with a running vocabulary for the entire Agamemnon as further help for students.

A student commentary on one of the most popular of ancient tragedies, perfectly pitched at intermediate students

About the Author
Leah Himmelhoch is Associate Professor of Classics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, USA.


Book Information
ISBN 9781350154902
Author Leah Himmelhoch
Format Paperback
Page Count 408
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC