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Orestes
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Orestes

play by Euripides
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Article History

Orestes, play by Euripides, performed in 408 bce, that retells the story of the aftermath of Orestes’ matricide. Euripides set the play in a world where courts of law already exist. In his version, Orestes, his sister Electra, and his cousin and friend Pylades are condemned to death by the men of Árgos for the murder. Their uncle Menelaus is too spineless to defend them, and they plot to kill Menelaus’s wife, Helen, and to abduct her innocent daughter. This chaos of violence and attempted murder is resolved only by the deus ex machina Apollo, who finally appears and restores harmony.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.