In House of Names by Colm Toibin, Toibin retells the story of the Oresteia. However, In the book we get to see what the characters are really thinking, and we learn more about why they do what they do. In the first part of the book, we are reintroduced to Clytemnestra, but instead of being a mysterious character, like she is in the Oresteia, we hear her voice and can more easily understand her hatred for her husband Agamemnon. We see her struggle to save her daughter’s life and ultimately failing to do so. She begins blaming herself for not being able to save her. She is then taken away and held under a boulder unable to move. This is where her hatred of Agamemnon grows. I believe this was the moment that sealed his fate. Clytemnestra laying in her own waste as her daughter is slaughtered decides she must take justice into her own hands. We can also understand why Electra and Orestes blame their mother. Because they don’t talk to each other, Electra’s anger grows and becomes directed at her mother. We see how this is beginning to escalate into hatred. Toibin helps clear up for us why the events that took place in the Oresteia came to be. To read more about the author, visit Colm Toibins own website here. Also to learn more Toibin's about the reimagining of the ancient story visit this analysis by inews.
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John Maler Collier (1850–1934), "Clytemnestra," 1882
Cassandra by Evelyn De Morgan (1898, London); Cassandra in front of the burning city of Troy |