Euripides produced Orestes in 408 B.C. Shortly afterwards, the poet went to Macedonia to the court of king Archelaus, where he died two years later. In antiquity it was suggested that he left because he was disgusted at the reception he received from his countrymen, and modern scholars sometimes maintain that, deeply disillusioned with Athens, he went into self-imposed exile. In fact, quite a few poets and artists from around the Greek world accepted Archelaus’ hospitality at that time: he seems to have invited the leading artistic figures of the day in order to raise Macedon’s reputation in the arts. These luminaries doubtless found working conditions in Pella agreeable, and there is little reason to think that Euripides’ m…
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Citation: Kovacs, David. "Orestes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 December 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13358, accessed 24 November 2024.]
