Aeschylus' audience would have scant knowledge of human sacrifice except as something they associated with barbarous peoples and primitive times. There are Greek myths, as in the story of Idomeneus' return from Troy, but what religious significance they had by the V Century, it is hard to tell. The murders in the Oresteia, so far from reintegrating community, are seen as highly destructive. Matricide is a terrifying thing for the Greeks--in Aristophanes Clouds the mere threat of Pheidippides to beat his mother arouses his father to burn down Socrates' think-tank.

Finally, there is a good deal in this and other Greek plays about false identity, and that is partly because the anagnorisis is so important. There is also, however, a lot of emphasis put on the way Clytaemestra trapped Agamemnon with a net. Some fanciful (though not necessary incorrect) interpreters would see a connection between the net, the so-called carpet--really strewn fabrics--and the rags worn by the Erinyes.

Finally,(sorry to put you through your paces Fleming) is there any significance in the fact that Clytemnestra was killed by her son while in disguise,as opposed to Agamemnon by his wife using dissimulation?

The Choephoroe is the central play of the trilolgy. In it, the great crime of matricide is enacted, which bring the Erinyes into the middle of the drama. In answer to an earlier question, Apollo is quite important. This the lord of Delphi, the god of wisdom and truth and light, sweet reason and self-restraint. Apollo's logic, which leads Orestes to kill his mother, is not however sufficient, as we shall see, and it is no accident that his name suggests the verb to kill or destroy.

An acute question on concealment and disguise. If Aristotle is right about tragedy, that one principal element is the revelation of what was previously unknown or concealed (anagnorisis scenes), then we are beginning to understand what tragedy is all about when we contemplate these scenes. They are, of course, exciting, and without this element there would be no such thing as mystery or detective fiction. (It is often said, correctly, that Sophocles' Oedipus is the first and most brilliant piece of detective fiction.) Tragedies involve the pursuit of truth under the most difficult circumstances. What the characters--and the audience--are discovering are the great and terrible forces that lie above and below our human plane of action. We do not always respond to great works of art, for one reason or another, but I have never read the great scenes of this play--the invocation of Agamemnon, Orestes' in disguise with his mother, the murder of Clytaemestra--without a thrill of horror

Does the name "ORESTES" mean anything in Greek?

This drama leaves me a bit unmoved.It almost seems like an elaborate filler between the AGAMEMNON and the EUMENIDES.What am I missing Dr. Fleming?

Is there significance in that it is Apollo who gives Orestes the command for vengeance? Does the fact that it is Apollo matter, or is it sufficient to know that it is a command from a god? I believe Pylades' only words in the play come when he reminds Orestes of the order from Apollo. And Dr. Fleming points out that having a third character speak is unusual. So I'm wondering if there is something significant about Apollo's role.

"If people want some material on clan politics and Cleisthenes’ reforms, I do have some in my lectures."

Yes, by all means,send as much as you've got.

Dr. Fleming, I would be interested in reading this--could you please post it?