House of Atreus
House of Atreus
House of Atreus
• He killed Clytemnestra.
• After, he thought he mother had sent shaped of
women to follow him wherever he went.
• He became a wanderer, constantly surrounded by
these shapes of women.
• When next he came to his country, years had
passed.
• He learned that no crime was beyond atonement.
• He was sent to Athens by Apollo to plead his case to
Athena.
• Orestes told Athena he was guilty of the murder, by the
felt no guilt.
• These words were never spoken by any family members
of the House of Atreus before.
• Athena accepted his plea.
• Orestes was acquitted. (find innocent)
• With this, the evil that surrounded the house vanished.
• Orestes left a free man.
The curse on the house had ended.
IPHIGENIA AMONG THE TAURIANS
• A man came running to Clytemnestra, saying Iphigenia
had not been killed.
• No one knows exactly what happened.
• At the altar, the priest was about to sentence her when
anguish came over every man in the room.
• Suddenly, Iphigenia vanished.
• On the ground was a dear with its throat cut.
• It was thought to be the work of Artemis.
• She would not have human blood on her altar.
• Artemis took her to the land of the Taurians.
• She made sure Iphigenia would be safe.
• She was made priestess of Artemis’s temple.
• Orestes and Pylades came to the country.
• They were told by Apollo’s oracle to go.
• When they reached the temple, they realized
they couldn’t do anything until the night.
• Iphigenia met the men and questioned them.
• She did not realized that one of the men was
Orestes.
• She gave Pylades a letter to deliver.
• When asked who is was for, she told them Orestes.
• The message was that she was alive.<br />She
wanted Orestes to free her.
• Pylades handed the letter to Orestes right there.
• At first she did not believe it, but he convinced her
that he was her brother.
• She came up with a plan to escape the country.
• She told the King that the two men were tainted, and
she was going to take them to the shore to purify
them.
• Once on the beach the three would get on a ship.
• It was almost as if the plan was going to work when
a wind came and blew their ship back to land.
•
• The King was furious and rushed to put the three
to death.
• Athena appeared overhead and told him to let
the ship go.
• The king agreed.
• Poseidon calmed the waters.
• From the shore, people watched as the wind and
waves stopped and the ship sailed into the sea.
QUIZ
1. Who is the founder of the curse in the House?
2. What was Tantalus punished for?
3. What is the name of Tantalus' son?
4. Who was stoned and was forever wet with tears.
5. Who sacrifices his own daughter?
6. who is the lover of Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife
7. Who is the god that commanded Orestes to kill his
mother Clythemnestra and her lover?
8. Who is the goddess that lifted the curse?
9. In what land did Iphigenia end up?
10. Who accompanied Orestes in his journey?