Orestes

5 9.9

A prince in Greek myths who kills his mother to get revenge for his father

proper noun
/əˈrɛstiz/

Literature

: Orestes

In Greek mythology, Orestes avenges his father's death by killing his mother and her lover.
Orestes, the son

So the finale of this performance is the reconstructed version of the chorus from Euripides Orestes.

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Examples

The tragic story of Orestes highlights the complex themes of vengeance and family loyalty.
According to legend, Orestes faced moral dilemmas after committing the act of matricide.
Clytemnestra is later killed by their son, Orestes.

Academic text (2006)
Orestes, the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, then killed Clytemnestra in revenge for his father.

Academic text (2006)
Clytemnestra's son and killer, Orestes, will eventually escape the cycle of vengeance. The tragedian depicts Orestes not as driven by the furies, the primitive spirits who are the essence of revenge, but as the instrument of Apollo.

Academic text (2006)

Surface Forms

Orestes main

Etymology

Orestes comes from the ancient Greek root oros, which means 'mountain', so the name originally meant 'one from the mountain'. This simple image helps you remember that Orestes is a Greek myth hero and a named person from that old world.