1. What is Tragedy?
2. The Chorus. Aristotle says in the Poetics that "the chorus should be regarded as one of the actors; it should be a part of the whole, and should assume a share in the action ...." To what extent does Aeschylus give us a chorus that lives up to the (later) Aristotelian model? Does the chorus ever say or sing about things which seem to have little or nothing to do with the main plot? How important is the identity of the chorus?
3. The Carpet Scene. What is the symbolic function of the carpet scene (Ag. 914-74)? Why does Agamemnon finally agree to walk upon it and what does this acquiescence mean?
4. Sacrifice. Look for references or allusions to sacrifice and sacrificial imagery throughout the trilogy. Why is sacrifice so important for these plays? Can you use sacrifice as a link between the themes of the drama and its 5th century Athenian performance context?
5. Necessity. Consider the intersection between necessity and desire or willingness in the Orestaia, especially with reference to the killing of Iphigenia by Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra by Orestes. Is there a moral message about the carrying out of necessary deeds or is there simply no escape? How much sympathy does Aeschylus mean for us to have for Orestes, and how much do we actually have; is it justifiable homicide? Does Orestes change his mind or his attitude towards the killing of his mother during the lyric kommos of the Libation Bearers (306-478)?
6. Clytaemnestra. Does she fit into or evoke any of the paradigms of the female which we have encountered before in Greek literature? Does she tell us anything about the women of classical Athens, or about the attitude of men towards the women of classical Athens, or is she just the product of male fantasies and fears about women? Also, how well does she make her case in justifying the murder of Agamemnon, and how do the Furies do as her advocates? Could Aeschylus have made her position any stronger, and why would he have wanted to?
7. Language. According to Simon Goldhill ( Reading Greek Tragedy Cambridge, 1986 p. 4) "The search to control the future through accurate and powerful language links the many prayers, prophecies, and curses of this play. Language, when used rightly, can have a direct and binding effect." Is Goldhill on to something here?