The Libation Bearers and the Eumenides: the Oresteia-Parts II and III Paperback – January 1, 1964
by Peter D. Arnott (Editor, Translator)
 
The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides are the second and third parts of the Oresteia saga, dealing with the curse on the family of Atreus, the royal house of Argos in Ancient Greece. The curse had continued for generations, in a never-ending cycle of murder and revenge. In The Libation Bearers, Orestes kills his mother, Clytemnestra, in revenge for her murder of his father. In The Eumenides, the Furies, a trio of vengeful goddesses, track Orestes down and bring him to trial in Athens. The goddess Athena pardons Orestes, and persuades the Furies to become a constructive force, changing their names to the Eumenides, which means “the kindly ones.” Athena also declares that such trials must be settled in a court of law instead of by individual action, and thus ends the curse of the House of Atreus.
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