Essay on Oresteia: Revenge

2) The argument of Apollo entailed him stating that Zeus was the one who had Clytemnestra killed. Apollo was also described in detail the way Agamemnon was murdered. Apollo also argues for paternal rights by stating that the father is the only true parent. Apollo is disgusted by the way the Furies think. Apollo leans to Athene, who was born from her father's skull instead of the womb of her mother. Orestes' murder of

The action in this court scene is set up by the opening scene which happened in the temple of Apollo. This instance helps to show the usurpation of one set of gods over another, in that the Furies were lulled to sleep by Apollo to protect Orestes from their torment. The Furies are used to represent instinctual justice because the ghost of Clytaemnestra awakes them by charging them to fulfill their duty to torment Orestes for committing matricide. A requirement to complete the evolution of justice to be based in society is that the Furies current capacity is in need of elimination, which is what takes place during the trial in Athens. In the trial, the Furies’ case hinges on the concept that Clytaemnestra the same blood as Orestes, but Apollo counters that, “The man is the source of life — the one who mounts. She, like a stranger for a stranger, keeps the shoot alive unless god hurts the roots” (Lines 669-671). Apollo is saying that the Furies claim that Orestes and Clytaemnestra share the same blood is meaningless because the man is the source of life, while the woman is merely a vehicle. To contrast, this Orestes builds the case for his innocence on the premise that he was commanded by the seer of Apollo to avenge his father’s death since he had just returned a hero in the Trojan War. Both parties were able to make sound cases, which ultimately led to the jury splitting evenly down the middle, which shows the complexity of the situation. Given a vote, in this case, I would have voted for Orestes, because the implications of changing the role of the Furies to occur more peacefully in society will help for all to flourish. In the end, Athena voted for Orestes because “she killed her husband, guardian of their house.” While Orestes freed of his guilt, however, it was not a defeat for the Furies as they received a new role

Orestes is the first person who is trying to change the system and realizes it must be changed for the gods and the Furies to spare his life. Revenge as justice has one major problem,

Athena, along with Apollo, provide some of the strongest evidence towards how the ancient Greeks dealt with the unknown. This is because to me, they represent the Greek faith and how the Greeks view their own faith. When Orestes comes to Apollos temple at the beginning of The Eumenides, Apollo tells Orestes to go to another deity to help with his problems. He tells Orestes to run and keep on running, followed with this statement: “And once you reach the citadel of Pallas, kneel / and embrace her ancient idol in your arms . . .” (The Eumenides 82-83). He then says that he will help Orestes afterwards. Apollo cannot absolve Orestes of his guilt

In The Oresteia Trilogy there is a lot of killing to get revenge on someone who killed someone else. The characters see their kills as bringing justice. But what really is the difference between justice and revenge? Can you get revenge on someone through justice? Revenge is thought of as retaliation against someone to get back at them for hurting a loved one or group of people you care about. Justice is thought of more as righting a wrong in the world through some type of system.

Athena herself participates in the judgement not as an unbiased arbiter of justice, but as a participant in the conflict who compromises and gains advantage from the consequences of her judgment just as Apollo, Orestes, and the Erinyes did. Athena judges with the interest of Athens, her city, in mind. When her judgment releases Orestes, he promises that "if they [his descendants] always honor this city of Pallas with the spear of allies,

By the time Orestes’ father retuned form the war, his mother had found another lover, Aegisthus. She was very angry with her first husband for bringing back the Trojan princess Cassandra, so she killed him. When Orestes’ older sister heard of this, she took him away and raised him elsewhere. When

Unfortunately, the same fate awaits him if he commits matricide, thereby avenging his father. Orestes chooses the latter and is besieged by 'the hounds of mother's hate.' (Lib: 1055-6). Through this sequence of murderous events, Aeschylus demonstrates the complexity and futility of the blood feud as a system of justice. There are no winners, and the cycle of violence does not end. Thus, this cycle of vengeance is not justice.

Throughout the three plays of the Oresteia, justice takes many different shapes and forms as various characters attempt to justify their otherwise morally questionable actions. In particular, the Oresteia portrays a transformation from an older, more primitive form of justice, to a new concept of civil justice devised by Athena. Aeschylus emphasizes this contrast between the old and new orders, and the differing philosophies of both—with the older justice of the Furies and Clytemnestra taking on a more individual connotation, while that of Athena and the new gods is formed around the community. As such, while Clytemnestra carries out her justice primarily based upon her own judgement of right and wrong, justice at the end of the Eumenides is ultimately delivered based on the convictions and beliefs of a collective community of jury members.

She brings her husband to commit hubris against the gods by goading him to walk on a purple tapestry, here she again believes her actions justified by the gods and she has no blame to hold. She considers herself higher than even the gods and this is why her son is seen as the hero. Orestes sees himself as doing wrong when he has to avenge his father’s murder, and never feels pride over taking his own mom’s life. Apollo had asked him to avenge his father and in doing so Orestes would invoke the wrath of the furies.

killing her himself at the end of Act 5. Othello was led to do this by

While Electra and the slave women are praying, Orestes and Pylades appear from the trees. Orestes reveals that the oracle of Apollo told him that he needed to go back to Argos and avenge Agamemnon. Orestes, Electra, and the Chorus then sing and chant to Agamemnon asking for help to avenge his death. Orestes then discovers that Clytemnestra had a nightmare that she gave birth to a snake, and when she was feeding it, the snake drew blood along with the milk. Orestes devises a plan to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Orestes sends Electra back to the palace, and advises the Chorus to help him when he enters the

Both maddened and unnerved, the Furies revile the "younger gods" for damaging the "ancient laws" of retribution, and denying them of their power. The Furies cry out for justice, proclaiming that justice will only be obtained if all mankind is shattered. Athena, be that as it may, addresses them consciously, telling the Furies that they are more astute than she is. (848-850) She educates them concerning all the remarkable parts of Athens, promising that they will develop to love it and that Athenian residents will respect them. She delineates Athens as a place that is known for peace and achievement, and tells the Furies that a lively, fulfilling life is theirs for the taking. As the Furies reiterate their lament once more, Athena again uncovers

There are two aspects that I want to say about Orestes being innocent of murder, as he did in fact kill Clytemnestra. In comparison with the Code of Hammurabi, where the consequence of almost doing any harm to someone is: death. With that being said, it is interesting to see the difference in the consequences of laws in each society. Of course there are reasons why a court was made, however it should seem that a murderer should always be punished even with reasons to commit a murder. Does revenge justify murder?

Greek tragedy characteristically lent itself to portray a variety of interpretations, addressing social, political and theological issues of its time. Depending on the backdrop or context, the tragedies could question, dismiss or support political institutions such as the democratic polis. Greek theatre illustrated the complex relationship between aristocracy, democracy, patriotism and the Athenian empire. It drew attention to issues within society, using marginal figures and delving into usually unmentionable themes such as women, slaves, sexual deviancy, role reversal (such as women and men), greed, the horrors of war, family and children, and unstable political order.