Aeschylus' Erinyes: Tragedy's Muses

Abstract

The over-arching theme of Aeschylus' trilogy, the Oresteia, is the emergence of law from vengeance, but does the author also address the nature of tragedy through an innovative treatment of song and the Erinyes? Peter Wilson and Oliver Taplin thought so: "The Eumenides supplies a kind of 'aetiology' of tragedy -- that is, of itself."[1] Beginning with Wilson and Taplin's intriguing idea, this paper will explore the evolving nature, function, and representation of the Erinyes before, during, and after the Oresteia was first performed, in order to determine how Aeschylus granted them a clearly defined identity, transforming these goddesses from the fearful shadows of epic into tragedy's Muses. [From Introduction]