LibGuides: ENGLISH- 9H (The Odyssey): The House of Atreus

Definition

The House of Atreus

One cursed family in Greek mythology, the House of Atreus, produced many of its most famous and horrifying figures. The curse was brought upon the family by Tantalus, the man who tested the gods' wisdom by serving his own son to them as beef stew. For this, he would suffer everlasting punishment in the Underworld, and his descendants would be covered by a curse that was passed down through the generations.

SECOND GENERATION – Broteas, Niobe & Pelops

THIRD GENERATION – Atreus & Thyestes

FOURTH GENERATION – Children of Atreus & Thyestes

FIFTH GENERATION - Aegisthus, Hermione, Iphigenia, Electra , Chrysothemis & Orestes

Overview

Additional Web Resources

The Curse of the House of Atreus: A Dysfunctional Family Taken to Extremes
MIRIAM KAMIL, Ancient-origins.net, 2 MAY, 2019
The Myth of the House of Atreus: 5th Century B.C.E. and 20th Century C.E.
Suter, Ann. "The Myth of the House of Atreus: 5th Century B.C.E. and 20th Century C.E." Syllecta Classica, vol. 19, 2008, p. 187-201. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/syl.2008.0008.
Atreus
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Atreus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Oct. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Atreus. Accessed 15 December 2022.

Benedict Library Database Resources

The Beastly House of Atreus

Carne-Ross, D. S. “The Beastly House of Atreus.” The Kenyon Review, vol. 3, no. 2, 1981, pp. 20–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4335182. Accessed 14 Dec. 2022.

Atreus

"Atreus." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 22 Oct. 2007. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Atreus/10145. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.

ENGLISH- 9H (The Odyssey): The House of Atreus