Synopsis of The Furies
Scene 1: Before the temple of Apollo at Delphi. The elderly PYTHIA, the priestess of Apollo who delivers the god’s oracles, appears. She is about to go into the temple to prophesy, and asks for the blessing of the gods, and for good omens (“Apollo is the prophet”). She enters the temple, but flies out again almost immediately, in terror--she has seen something inside which is at first too terrible even to express. Paralyzed with fear, she describes what she has seen: a man holding a bloody sword (Orestes), surrounded by a vile troop of sleeping creatures (the Furies). Unable to do anything more, the Pythia commends the problem to Apollo’s care, and exits.
Scene 2: The scene shifts immediately to the interior of the temple; APOLLO is seen standing over ORESTES. Apollo has just finished purifying Orestes of the crime of matricide: on Apollo’s orders, Orestes killed his mother Klytemnestra to avenge his father Agamemnon’s earlier murder at her hands. However, although Apollo has cleansed Orestes, the Furies still pursue him: these ancient goddesses, daughters of Night, seek vengeance for the shedding of kindred blood. Nevertheless, Apollo promises Orestes what protection he can provide against the Furies (“I will never betray you”), and points out that he has lulled the Furies to sleep in order to give Orestes an opportunity to escape. Apollo realizes that Athena will be able to solve the problem of the Furies, who must somehow be satisfied, and sends Orestes to Athens. Orestes and Apollo exit.
Scene 3: The GHOST OF KLYTEMNESTRA appears to wake the Furies: she is angry with them for having fallen asleep and let their quarry (Orestes) escape. She rouses them with threats and insults, describing her outcast state in Hades and her vain sacrifices to the Furies in the past (“You sleep!”). Gradually, the FURIES begin to awaken, with groaning, whining, and moaning sounds, punctuated by occasional shouts. Fully awake and agitated, the Furies declare their purpose and decry Apollo for overstepping his bounds in interfering with their time-honored prerogatives (“Ah, sisters, we suffer”). They restate their resolve never to stop pursuing Orestes. Apollo reenters, furious, armed with bow and arrow, and drives the Furies from his temple (“Away, I command you”).
Scene 4: After an instrumental interlude, the scene changes to Athens. Orestes enters, alone, having reached the temple of Athena. He clings to Athena’s image and prays to her for protection. The voices of the Furies are heard, gradually approaching, drawing ever nearer. Soon, the Furies too arrive at the temple: they have been able to track Orestes, like hounds, by the scent of the blood from his crime, and they prepare to exact their vengeance by sucking their prey’s own blood from his body. To ready Orestes for sacrifice, the Furies sing a ‘binding-song’ (“Our song for our victim drives men mad”).
Scene 5: The goddess ATHENA arrives at her temple in a burst of glory. In a virtuosic aria (“I heard your cry from afar”), she rejoices over the fall of Troy and the honors granted to her by the Greek chieftains. She asks the identity of Orestes and of the Furies. Orestes responds with an aria which describes his father’s death and his own situation (“I am an Argive”). Both sides of the case are thus laid before her, and Athena offers to solve the problem. She declares her intention to summon some of her own citizens to act as a jury: Orestes will be placed on trial for the murder of his mother. The Furies reflect on the risks to their ancient honors posed by this new way of thinking about justice (“New oaths now”).
Scene 6: Athena summons the jury to the trial, and the JURORS enter to an instrumental march. The trial begins, with the Furies as prosecutors and Apollo as defense counsel; Athena is the presiding judge. The Furies verbally attack Orestes. Apollo recollects the fate of Agamemnon (“That noble man”), and then presents a specious argument with a clever support: according to his reasoning, the mother is not the true parent of the child, but merely the vessel within which the child, offspring of the true parent, the father, resides. Claiming that children may be born without mothers, Apollo cites Athena, who sprang fully-armed from the head of her father Zeus. Therefore, Orestes, in killing his mother, did not really kill his own blood-kin. At the conclusion of the arguments, Athena promises the jurors in a lyrical aria (“Raise up not anarchs or despots”) that this new way of serving justice will protect their city forever. They cast their ballots as a battle of words arises between Apollo and the Furies. Before the votes are counted, Athena declares her intent to cast her own vote in favor of Orestes. The numbers are equal, and Athena’s vote breaks the tie in favor of acquittal. Orestes, jubilant, sings an arioso of praise (“O Athena, savior of my house”) and exits for Argos, to assume his throne as the rightful king and heir. The Furies explode with anger (“Io, you younger gods!”).
Scene 7: The Furies, enraged over their loss and pained at their dishonor, threaten to destroy both Athens and its citizens. Athena works to persuade them to spare her people, who will honor the Furies as forces for good if they will relent. Gradually, in return for having lost Orestes (and, in a larger sense, their former hold over mankind through the exercise of vengeance and vendetta), she convinces the Furies to accept a place in Athens, worshipped and revered by the citizens. The Furies ask Athena what blessings she would like them to sing for her people; the goddess answers with an aria detailing the rich gifts of the natural world (“Let good things come from earth and sea and sky”), and the Furies take up their song in return.
Scene 8: A CHORUS OF ATHENIAN CITIZENS enters to escort the Furies to their new home, a shrine beneath the Acropolis in the heart of Athens, where the terror which the Furies once inspired will now be transformed into a just respect for what is right. Converted to eumenides, “kindly ones,” the Furies make their farewells (“Chairete, O people of this city”). Athena leads the procession as the Chorus and jurors sing a joyful hymn to their new guardians of justice (“Go to your homes”) and invite the entire city of Athens to join in their song.