These were the most depressing stories i have ever read. They all had a great overall meaning and "moral" to the story, but it was so depressing that you don't understand it right away.
The most wonderful opening scene in Western Literature is here: the commencement of the 'Agamemnon' is quite simply breathtaking. As to what happened to the House of Atreus in pages that follow... well. Breathtaking stuff...