The Vulgar Eclectic

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• The Eumenides by Aeschylus

  I finished reading The Eumenides, the third and final part of the Oresteia by Aeschylus. The term Eumenides is a name given to the Furies of Greek mythology. Both the Furies and some of the gods, principally Athens and Apollo, are major characters in this play. The gods play a more immediate and central role as characters in this work than in most other ancient Greek drama I’ve read. The gods do make appearances in other works, but in The Eumenides much of the dialogue is actually between gods and the Furies.

  Not only does Orestes’ fate lie in the balance, to be judged by Athena, but the trajectory of the curse on the house of Atreus is at stake.

  “And the brutal strife,
  the civil war devouring men, I pray
  that it never rages through our city, no
  that the good Greek soil never drinks the blood of Greeks,
  shed in an orgy of reprisal life for life –
  that Fury like a beast will never
  rampage through the land.”

  

• The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus

  I finished reading the second part of the Oresteian trilogy by Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers (translated by Robert Fagles).

  This middle section of the trilogy opens with Electra, daughter of Agamemnon, bringing libations to the tomb of her father at the instruction of her mother, Clytemnestra. Orestes, along with his companion Pylades, has just returned to his childhood home of Argos and the house of Atreus. After the two siblings reunite, the next step in the curse of Tantalus inevitably unfolds, even as Orestes questions the decision he has made.

  This tragedy continues the theme of fate and destiny, the sins of one’s ancestors, and the disharmony brought about by conflict within the family home.

  “It is the law: when the blood of slaughter
  wets the ground it wants more blood.
  Slaughter cries for the Fury
  of those long dead to bring destruction
  on destruction churning in its wake!”

  

• Agamemnon by Aeschylus

  I just finished reading Agamemnon by Aeschylus, the first part of a trilogy of plays written in the 5th century BC known as the Oresteia. The beauty and intensity of Aeschylus’ poetry really stands out in this translation by Robert Fagles.

  The Oresteia is so named because the trilogy revolves around the person of Orestes, son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. In Agamemnon, the titular character has just come home after ten long years of bloody war on “the ringing plains of windy Troy.” After the war, the Greek heroes suffer different fates…Odysseus wanders for another ten years before finally arriving home to his beloved Penelope at Ithaca; Menelaus takes eight years to get back to Sparta, where he and Helen continue their married life; while Agamemnon is able to make the return voyage home to Mycenae quickly, but encounters a much different homecoming.

  The inescapability of fate is an underlying theme throughout Agamemnon. The sins of Agamemnon’s ancestors and his own past decisions lead inexorably to tragedy, as the curse on the house of Atreus spreads through yet another generation.

  And now it goes as it goes
  and where it ends is fate.
  And neither by singeing flesh
  nor tipping cups of wine
  nor shedding burning tears can you
  enchant away the rigid Fury.

  

• Korg: 70,000 BC

  

  I just finished all nine issues of the comic book Korg: 70,000 BC. It was written and illustrated by Pat Boyette and published by Charlton Comics from 1975 to 1976.

  Charlton Comics has a somewhat unique place in comic history. It was a company that paid lower wages than its larger competitors and published often hurried content, but there are some fun gems in the company’s large output.

  The comic book is based on a short-lived, live-action Saturday morning television show that began in 1974 and ran for 19 episodes. The show is about a family of neanderthals (Korg, his wife Mara, their three children, Tane, Tor, and Ree, and Korg’s brother, Bok). I haven’t watched it, so I’m unsure if any of the comic book stories are related to the television plots. I have a feeling that, other than sharing the characters of Korg and his family, there is probably no overlap between the television stories and the comic book plots.

  Initially, the comic maintains a somewhat realistic depiction of early human life (given the knowledge of prehistory at that time, combined with some artistic license), but soon strays into pseudoarchaeology. From perusing the titles of the television episodes, I think the TV show stuck to a more “realistic” tenor.

  I enjoyed the comics. The first issue is a nicely-paced, compact story that really works, and it drew me into the imagined primeval world of Korg and his immediate family. They are cave-dwellers, reliant on their fire, spears, strength, and family to survive. As the series develops, it becomes necessary for them to uproot and leave their home in the face of the advancing continental ice sheets.

  Boyette produced compelling art. He has a certain leanness to his illustration that fits the depiction of a prehistoric setting, and he is creative in using dynamic panel layouts. I’d like to find more of his comic book art. He also crafts some entertaining, laconic stories.

  Each issue has a short back-up story, as well as a one or two-page text story. I love this kind of additional content that is often found in older comics. It reminds me of reading old comics when I was a kid.

  As mentioned, some of the stories delve into the realm of myth and science fiction, with visitation from an advanced humanoid species with robots, an appearance of a gorgon and, in a different issue, a cyclopes, and the existence of an advanced Atlantean civilization. Although these break from the world as first depicted, they still work and provide fun stories. Unfortunately, the series ends abruptly in the middle of a story at the end of the ninth issue. Readers wanting to know what happens to Korg and Bok, who are in the midst of a perilous journey, are left to their imaginations.

  

• The Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky

  I just finished reading The Lower Depths (translated by David Magarshack), a play written by Maxim Gorky in 1902. It brutally depicts the lives of several poor Russians who are living in the cramped basement of a boarding house.

  The characters are superbly drawn. Through the dialogue, Gorky is able to ask profound questions regarding life and suffering, reality and hope. I’m left still wondering about the thoughts and actions of Luka, the pilgrim, and to what degree his views are justified and useful, or misguided and harmful.

  This was an excellent reading experience.

  “Well, you see, there’s a moral to it. It shows that however much you paint yourself, it’ll all come off in the end. Yes, sir, it will all come off.”

  

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