Die Erfindung der Demokratie – Die Orestie

A society torn in itself is trying to find a common stance. The rarely performed play “The Eumenides”, which completes the famous trilogy by Aeschylus, is traditionally considered to represent the invention of democracy on the stage and points out paths towards reconciliation. The text of the play is updated with texts by Lea Rosh, who initiated the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.

Orestes kills his mother to avenge his murdered father. The Erinyes, the goddesses of revenge, will not let this breach of natural law pass, but Apollo is protecting Orestes. The goddess Athena is called upon to settle the dispute. In a trial, she listens to all arguments and asks a group of citizens to serve as a jury. When their vote is tied, she rules in favour of the defendant, thus drawing the newly inflamed wrath of the Erinyes upon herself. Her offer of participation and reconciliation transforms the goddesses of revenge into the “Eumenides”, the “gracious ones”.

The plot can be interpreted as a parable on current social debates and the protests of a generation that has lost all faith in the establishment, whose actions it views as crimes against natural law and our shared future. This makes it even more thrilling to present the processes of an exchange of arguments, a democratic vote and a final reconciliation on stage. “The Oresteia” by the poet Aeschylus (525–456 BC) is the only surviving trilogy of Greek tragedies and is considered one of the key texts of our civilisation. Current political events become modern foils that reflect the fragility of our democratic foundation. John von Düffel creates a new version of the play by integrating texts by Lea Rosh. The German journalist and writer Lea Rosh, whose many awards include the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis, advocates a democratic and liberal society in her life’s work. The production is the first collaboration between Carl Philip von Maldeghem and designer Eva Musil, who has repeatedly shown her stylistic versatility at the Salzburg State Theatre.

Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes (with one intermission)

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