After a brief overview of the Law and Literature movement, this article suggests possible convergences with ESP teaching and the use of classical Greek tragedy. It takes as a “case study” the Oresteia (458 BC), a trilogy by Aeschylus which features the first courtroom drama in Western literature. The first part of the article illustrates how tensions between a private and a civic form of justice lead to a series of power struggles, particularly between men and women. The following part shows how true power is predicated on mastery of language and signs. The conclusion suggests ways in which classical drama can be used by ESP instructors, given that the issues raised are as relevant today as they were in the 5th century BC.