The first book to re-assess the Oresteia for a new generation of Classicists. Bridging between the disciplines of Classics, literary studies, gender studies, moral philosophy, and theories of imagery, Jenkyns presents a close reading of the three plays and a sophisticated literary anaylsis that will become standard reading on the play.

Rehabilitating the two central characters in the trilogy, Jenkyns gives a provocative and insightful new analysis of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, prompting his readers to reconsider scholarship and current trends of interpretation. He proposes a wide and liberal view of the trilogy as showcasing a heroic ideal with a greater unity than is usually argued. For Jenkyns the characters are sympathetic and the tragic gaze is strongly centred around an inward and emotional perception of minor as well as major characters.

Brilliantly argued and lucidly written, this study is set to become an influential core reading of perhaps the most influential and significant drama of the Classical world.