“Children are voices that shake off the lethe; Of drowsy Death; yea, floats, whereby the thread; And thin-wove line of Being is up-buoyed; Above the swallowing gulfs that yawn beneath.”
~ ‘Choephoroe’ by Aeschylus (G. M. Cookson translation. p80. line 505)
Orestes, Electra, and the Chorus engage in a lengthy discussion about their loss, profound grief, anger towards Clytaemnestra, and the need to avenge Agamemnon’s murder. Orestes and Electra pray to the gods and plead with their dead father for support in their quest for revenge.
After they disperse, Orestes and Pylades go to the palace disguised as messengers from another country named Phocis. They demand an audience with the queen and the king, saying they have news only for their ears. Clytaemnestra takes them in and gives them guests’ honors. Orestes tells her that he came to deliver the news that her son Orestes is dead. She feels sad and asks Electra to take care of the guests.