#both cassandra's and clytemnestra's disrobings precede their deaths

[finelythreadedsky]

oooh the sequence of on-stage female disrobings in the oresteia, one in each play-- cassandra casting off her prophet's robe and priestly emblems in the agamemnon, clytemnestra baring her breast to orestes in the libation bearers, and the erinyes exchanging their monstrous regalia for the red robes of their new identity as the eumenides... it's not explicit in the text of the eumenides that they take anything off but they are discarding one identity in order to assume a new one that they put on as a garment, and even if they don't take off any part of their fury-costume it's still such a way to reverse and resolve the two disrobings in the earlier plays

#watch this post turn into a dissertation chapter #i have not paid nearly enough attention to the choephoroi breast-baring scene #both cassandra's and clytemnestra's disrobings precede their deaths #(bc to take off one's costume is to take off one's identity ie for the actor to take off the character and be done w/ them) #(and to disconnect identity/self and body in the same way as death disconnects soul/self and body) #but the (re)robing of the eumenides is about continued life and avoiding the cycle that leads to more death #bodycostume #mine #oresteiablogging #see how many thoughts i have when i do my reading in daylight hours