The Furies have chased Orestes to the temple of Apollo in Delphi. The Pythia (the priestess of Apollo) offers a prayer. Trying to enter the temple, she is confronted by the sight of Orestes at the suppliant’s seat, encircled by sleeping Furies. She is shaken by this sight and concludes that Apollo must deal with this himself.

Apollo stands over Orestes. Vowing to protect him, he has cast the Furies, who he regards with disgust, into sleep. Apollo instructs Orestes to go to the Citadel of Athens, and bids Hermes to escort him. He vows that “we will devise the master-stroke / that sets you free form torment once and for all” (84-86). Orestes and the gods leave.

The ghost of Clytaemnestra enters, angry at the chorus of Furies for sleeping. She berates them for letting Orestes get away, despite all of the sacrifices she made and rites she performed for them when she was alive. Her words make their way into the Furies’ sleeping minds until the leader awakens. Clytaemnestra vanishes. The leader awakens the others, and they are outraged to see Orestes is gone.