Agamemnon vs Oresteia: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Agamemnon, Orestes, Greek drama, Continental european drama, Drama

Agamemnon Aeschylus · 1816 ★★★★☆ 3.8 88 pages · ≈ 1 h 38 m · Demanding

The Classical Department produced the play Agamemon, performed in the stadium on June 16 and 19, 1906

Translations from Greek Greek poetry Textual Criticism Greece

Oresteia Aeschylus · 1845 ★★★★☆ 4.0 187 pages · ≈ 3 h 28 m · Demanding

The Oresteia -- Agamemnon, Choephori, and The Eumenides -- depicts the downfall of the house of Atreus: after King Agamemnon is murdered by Clytemnestra, their son, Orestes, is commanded by Apollo to avenge the crime by…

Greek Electra Greek language materials Greek Mythology

Find on Amazon More like this →

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Oresteia has the widest readership — 48380 ratings behind its score.
Agamemnon runs the darker storyline; Oresteia stays the lighter read.

How to choose

In the mood for something dark? Agamemnon a darker storyline than Oresteia Want something lighter? Oresteia an easier tone than Agamemnon

Scores by source

	Agamemnon	Oresteia
Goodreads	3.8 (23364)	4.0 (48380)
Hardcover	4.0 (4)	3.9 (86)
Apple Books	4.0 (5)	3.5 (17)

Reception

	Agamemnon	Oresteia
Ratings	23364	48380
Editions	145	133
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	15179	40645
Pages	88	187

The verdict

How to choose

Scores by source

Reception

Side by side