Agamemnon is the first of the three plays within the Oresteia trilogy and is considered to be one of Aeschylus' greatest works. This collection of 12 essays, written by prominent international academics, brings together a wide range of topics surrounding Agamemnon from its relationship with ancient myth and ritual to its modern reception. There is a diverse array of discussion on the salient themes of murder, choice and divine agency. Other essays also offer new approaches to understanding the notions of wealth and the natural world which imbue the play, as well as a study of the philosophical and moral questions of choice and revenge. Arguments are contextualized in terms of performance, history and society, discussing what the play meant to ancient audiences and how it is now received in the modern theatre. Intended for readers ranging from school students and undergraduates to teachers and those interested in drama (including practitioners), this volume includes a performer-friendly and accessible English translation by David Stuttard.

Introduction - Agamemnon in Context (David Stuttard, Independent Scholar, UK)1. Eating Children is Bad for You: The Offspring of the Past in Aeschylus' Agamemnon (Edith Hall, King's College London, UK)2. Agamemnon at Aulis: hard choice or no choice? (Alan Sommerstein, University of Nottingham, UK)3. The Homecoming of Agamemnon (Alex Garvie, University of Glasgow, UK)4. Clytemnestra and Cassandra (Hanna Roisman, Colby College, USA)5. Ritual in Agamemnon (Richard Seaford, University of Exeter, UK)6. Let the Good Prevail (Sophie Mills, University of North Carolina at Asheville, USA)7. Agency in Agamemnon (Robert Garland, Colgate University, UK)8. Wealth and Injustice in Agamemnon (Michael Carroll, University of St Andrews, UK)9. 'There is the sea - who can drain it dry?' Natural and Unnatural Cycles in Agamemnon (Rush Rehm, Stanford University, USA)10. Similes and Other Likenesses in Aeschylus' Agamemnon (Anna Uhlig, University of California, Davis, USA)11. Agamemnon, Warfare and its Aftermath (Isabelle Torrance, Aarhus University, Denmark)12. Revenge for Murder Seen Through Modern Eyes: Recent Reception of Aeschylus' Oresteia (Betine van Zyl Smit, University of Nottingham, UK) Aeschylus Agamemnon, translated by David Stuttard (David Stuttard, Independent Scholar, UK)NotesBibliographyIndex