Aeschylus
Ancient Greek · 5th century BCE
Ancient Greek tragedian often described as the father of tragedy, author of the Oresteia trilogy which dramatizes the murder of Agamemnon and Cassandra by Clytemnestra.
Connection to Taylor Swift
Author of the Oresteia cycle which contains one of the major classical treatments of Cassandra, the mythological figure Taylor uses as the central conceit of the song Cassandra.
Notable Works
- Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides), The Persians, Prometheus Bound
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
Oresteia
Angela & Uncle Jerry cite the Oresteia (the cycle of plays about Orestes by Aeschylus) as one of the key classical texts in which Cassandra appears. Uncle Jerry discusses how Cassandra is taken by Agamemnon as a concubine and then killed by Clytemnestra, events dramatized in the Oresteia, connecting these to the song's themes of feminine marginalization and the ignored prophet.