Dr Goldhill's close reading of the text of Oresteia concentrates on the developing meanings of words within the structuring of the play. In particular, he focuses on the text's interests in language and its control, in sexuality and sexual difference, and in the progression and description of events.

This book is concerned with the complexity and difficulty of reading the Oresteia. It is not a traditional commentary, although it is often concerned with problems of interpretation and language, nor is it simply what is generally understood by a literary study, although it often discusses the wider themes of the narrative. It is a close reading of the text concentrating on the developing meanings of words within the structuring of the play. In particular, Simon Goldhill focuses on the text's interests in language and its control, in sexuality and sexual difference, and in the progression and description of events. Dr Goldhill links a sound philological knowledge with material drawn widely from modern literary theory and anthropological studies. The result is a challenging and provocative book, which offers for the serious student of Greek drama an exciting range of insights into one of the most important texts of the ancient world.