Abstract
The Oresteia of Aeschylus and the establishment of the Israelite monarchy (1 Sam. 8-2 Kgs 8) display a striking concurrence in structure and characterization. Each employs a tripartite scheme and deft use of metaphor to relate a transformation from an old kin-based social order to a new civic society. The first segment (Agamemnon and Saul) brings together the motifs of kingship, vendetta, and sacrifice to portray the disintegration of the old order. The second (Orestes and David) effects a transition through the stories of complex characters associated with youth and the wilderness. Finally, agents of wisdom (Athena and Solomon) establish mediating institutions on the sacred hill of the city, signifying the inauguration of a new social and cosmic order.
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