The Oresteia | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Clytemnestra - This character is fierce and determined to have revenge for the death of his or her child.

Agamemnon - This character sacrificed a daughter to sail to Troy for war and pays the price for it upon his or her return home.

Atreus - This character does not appear in any of the plays, but is the source of the terrible curse upon the family.

Aegisthus - This character wants power, despite being weak and petulant.

Orestes - This character is sent to revenge the death of their father, only to...
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