The Oresteia by Aeschylus in Greece: one week immersion May 2023
Event Details
In 2022, following Covid, we returned to the beautiful Greek island of Agistri to immerse ourselves in Homer’s Odyssey. For 2023 we are delighted to announce more opportunities to read classical literature in a place that reflects and illuminates the beauty of the language. In April and May we will offer one week studying Homer’s Odyssey and a further week reading The Oresteia by Aeschylus.
In the Oresteia, across three plays Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilised institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration. In Agamemnon, a king’s decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution; The Libation Bearers deals with the aftermath of Clytemnestra’s regicide, as her son Orestes sets out to avenge his father’s death; and in The Eumenides, Orestes is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased. Forming an elegant and subtle discourse on the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, The Oresteia is a compelling tragedy of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society.
Actor Jane Wymark and poet Caroline Hammond will join Salon Director Toby Brothers in leading this week-long study, sharing their insights into the spoken word, metre and translation. Working with key excerpts from the text, the three plays will be brought to life with readings and discussion as we explore their meaning and place in the modern world.
The venue we have chosen is a small family-run hotel that is easily accessible (just one hour by ferry from Athens) on the beautiful and quiet island of Agistri. It provides the perfect setting for our study, offering a relaxing atmosphere, excellent food and opportunities for additional cultural and recreational activities.
SALON DETAILS
- Facilitated by Toby Brothers, Jane Wymark and Caroline Hammond
- 7-14 May 2023
- The study programme will run for four to five hours per day for five days, with one day left open. There will be time for other optional activities such as kayaking adventures, a trip to the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, or for pure relaxation.
- Cost: £630 for the Salon study, to include preparatory meeting (via Zoom, 3 April 2023, 6.00-8.00pm UK time), background materials and opening notes.
- Payment methods: we understand that you may not want to pay the entire charge at once, so please email us if you would prefer to pay an initial deposit of £300 on registration, with the balance due on 1 February 2023. We have provided a PayPal link below, but you are also welcome to email us for bank details if you would rather pay by bank transfer.
- Refunds: please note that any refunds will be entirely at the discretion of the London Literary Salon, dependent on our ability to fill the place, and will be subject to an administration charge.
- Opening notes will be sent after registration
- Recommended text which we ask you to read before arriving on Agistri:
- The Oresteia by Aeschylus, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics, ISBN 9780140443332
ADDITIONAL COSTS
Room and half board (breakfast and dinner each day) will be arranged with the hotel and paid for directly to them. A deposit to cover two nights accommodation will be required by the hotel and we will send you full details for payment on registration.
Accommodation prices per night at the hotel (Rosy’s Little Village):
- Single – €65 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €50 per day
- Double – €71 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €50 per person per day
- Triple – €77 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €50 per person per day
- Family room for two people – €83 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €50 per person per day
- Family room for three people – €98 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €50 per person per day
- Family room for four people – €110 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €50 per person per day
Flights to Athens:
When booking please make sure you can arrive in Piraeus by 15.00 local time on 7 May to make the ferry. We will not be meeting on 14 May, so you have choices about your return (ferries are frequent and the travel time to Piraeus is one hour).
Ferry to Agistri:
Normally €14 each way, but may be €30 for arrival if the group chooses to use a private water taxi.
Incidental expenses:
Lunches, extra trips etc.
If you would like further information please use the ‘enquire before you buy’ button below.
Participant reflections from the Odyssey travel study in 2022:
“the performance and the poetry really enhanced the study of the text”
“I wanted more of everything but I think the balance between text, performance, poetry and free time was good. Although we knew in advance that Jane and Caroline were coming, I didn’t get how much they would contribute both to the general study and in the ‘workshops’ they provided. I really appreciated them adding the session on how they work together.”
“Jane’s warm-ups were wonderful, as was her tuition, and we were all captivated by Caroline’s poems and her help with their analysis. These two were an unexpected bonus and each in her own way enriched the study immensely.”
“Overall the whole experience was 5 star!”
About the plays . . .
As the only surviving example of a Greek tragic trilogy, The Oresteia is of enormous importance in the history of drama. The first two plays lead naturally to the next, but each of the three is a self-contained dramatic entity.
To study these plays as a group is to experience both the familiarity and the strangeness of the ancient world. The plays that Athenians crowded into theatres to watch show people who are profoundly different to us in their outlook, but also startlingly like us in their conflicts and desires.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact us.
