Justice for All
The word “justice,” is a difficult word to define. Looking thru a number of definitions one can find the word “just” included to explain the word justice. Just means to be fair and ultimately we can say that justice has the characteristic to be fair or right. Keeping this definition in mind while reading Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers one can see that the characters within both plays took justice into their own hands and believed that they were doing the “right” thing. Based on the ancient law of the Furies, they state that blood should be compensated for with blood and an unending cycle of calamity. Both plays depression carries a sense of looming doom and makes it clear that each character has a different view on the word, “justice.”
Agamemnon’s family is fueled by betrayal and revenge. The need for personal revenge seems silly in this community that continually kills one another for the sake of revenge, disguised as justice. One cannot build a community when the people of that community are taking matters into their own hands. There needs to be one source of rule. There are people motivated by a communal expectation that murdered relatives will be avenged, and there are others like Orestes who face impossible choices.
In Agamemnon, Clytaemnestra kills her husband, Agamemnon and his slave, Cassandra. Clytaemnestra felt betrayed when Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter, Iphigenia for his own selfish reasons. Clytaemnestra believes that she is ending a curse of bloodshed that has continued for several generations. The Queen's idea of justice is an eye for an eye. She alludes to this idea when she says, “a masterpiece of Justice”. (ll. 1430) Clytaemnestra would be foolish to think that she would not be...
... middle of paper ...
...o around killing others for his or her own reasons because they believe it to be just. The need to avenge one another’s death seems like a just thing to do but it really is not justice. The characters in these two stories are punishing a crime with another crime and find that to be just because the gods supported them or just following their feeling inside, those things will be better once the source of “evil” is dead.
The revenge of Clytaemnestra, Electra and Orestes shows how strong feelings from one person to another can make one do things that are merely reactions of love and hate. But in a broader sense, it is the source of the family curse that ultimately leads one act of violence to another. Revenge is the bottom line throughout these two stories, revenge being the making of another person pay for his or her actions and in the end bringing justice to all.
Evil exists naturally in the world, and there are many acts that are considered evil. As a result, evil is often a theme in literature. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” by William Shakespeare, and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe each rely heavily on evil to portray a message. Out of all of the evil acts that exist, exacting revenge is the evilest act that a person can make, for a person’s rash decision to exact revenge will ruin their sense of morality. The characters of Hamlet and Laertes in “Hamlet” each commit terrible acts of revenge, as does Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
10. And indeed Clytemnestra could be seen as a physical agent of the principle of revenge in her killing of Agamemnon.
In the literary works of the Oresteia there is a relationship built between the perpetuated cycle of violence and monarchy. The cycle of vengeance began with the slaughter of Thyestes children and continued throughout the generations of hierarchy. The wisdom of the gods has instilled the right to vengeance after wrong doing as read in the Libation Bearers. “Almighty Destinies, by the will of Zeus let these things be done, in the turning of Justice. For the word of hatred spoken, let hate be a word fulfilled. The spirit of Right cries out aloud and extracts atonement due: blood stroke for the stroke of blood shall be paid. Who acts, shall endure. So speaks the voice of age-old wisdom.”(lines 306-314). The sla...
Justice is generally thought to be part of one system; equally affecting all involved. We define justice as being fair or reasonable. The complications fall into the mix when an act of heroism occurs or morals are written or when fear becomes to great a force. These complications lead to the division of justice onto levels. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Plato’s Republic and Apology, both Plato and Aeschylus examine the views of justice and the morality of the justice system on two levels: in the city-state and the individual. However, Plato examines the justice system from the perfect society and Aeschylus starts at the curse on the House of Atreus and the blood spilled within the family of Agamemnon.
Athena, however, offers a form of justice that considers the context of a person’s actions when restoring equity. In the case of Orestes, the context of his case is the guidance given to him by Apollo and the wrongs that he had suffered as a result of his mother, Clytaemestra. Athena’s understanding of human nature is that the ideas of compassion and empathy coexist with the concept of justice in the minds of most people. As a result, Athena establishes a jury comprised of the peers of Orestes so that they may judge him with an understanding of both the context of Orestes’s actions and the need for justice for the death of Clytaemestra.... ... middle of paper ...
The deeds enacted by Agamemnon and Orestes were the same by definition, but different by motive. Agamemnon's motives were impure in his decision between his daughter and his war. He chose to conquer Troy at Iphigenia's expense. For such a ruthless act, consequences are inevitable, and Agamemnon met his punishment at the hands of his vengeful wife, Clytemnestra. Orestes was able to escape such a fate due in part to his faith in the gods, his reluctant desire to kill, and one goddess' (Athena's) mercy. The matricide committed by Orestes was padded by vengeance, and validated by retributive justice. Athena identified with Orestes during his trial on the basis that neither she nor Orestes had a true mother, and thus cast the final stone in favor of Orestes.
As seen, revenge is not always justice, and there is usually more emotion involved in the revenge and thus the revenge hurts more than the original crime hurt. As seen through the documents and The Count of Monte Cristo, revenge is most often not the same as justice, but can take form in the idea of justice through the coined phrase “an eye for an eye.” Dumas’ excellent writing portrays the Count’s dealings with revenge, love, justice, and providence. He deals with each particular situation differently. Plato’s perfect and ideal revenge cannot be reached except through equal and fair punishment, as our idea of revenge and justice is just a shadow of the utopian revenge and justice.
The act of revenge is the most honorable of all types of justice. Killing those who kill people you care about exhibits your loyalty to the man or woman who is deceased. Even though the cost was killing his mother, Orestes did avenge his father's death. Aeschylus and Sophocles show their fellow Athenians that although it may not be the most pleasurable and best looking solution, revenge is the most just. Although problems and criticism did arise from his actions, Orestes did exactly what he was suppose to do in the given situation.
After coming out of the house with blood stained hands while announcing her murder, all the Chorus can do is talk about what a great loss they suffer. They accuse Klytaimestra for being a backstabber, and tell her she should be punished. When Klytaimestra defends her actions by pointing out how Agamemnon killed her daughter, they ignore her and keep mourning. Even though they can see with their own eyes that Klytaimestra killed her husband and Cassandra, they still refuse to really listen to her, as if they do not want to believe that a woman committed the murder of their almighty king.
Orestes’ revenge is the first important example of the gods’ revenge in the poem. In Book 1, Hermes told Aegisthus, “’Don’t murder the man,’ he said, ‘don’t court his wife. Beware, revenge will come from Orestes…” (Homer 260). King Nestor delivers the story of Orestes’ revenge to Odysseus’ son Telemachus, while Telemachus is visiting Nestor to discover answers about his fathers’ whereabouts. In Book 3 of The Odyssey, King Nestor tells this of Agamemnon, “…Aegisthus hatched the kings’ horrendous death” (Homer, 285). King Nestor continues on telling of the revenge Agamemnon’s son Orestes has on Aegisthus, “Orestes took revenge, he killed that cunning, murderous Aegisthus…”(Homer, 285). This example of Orestes’ revenge shows that the gods should be listened to or they will give horrific revenges to those who disobey.
The Achaeans are more concerned with personal glory and achievement rather than the well-being of the city. Two Characters who definitely display this characteristic are Agamemnon and Achilles. Agamemnon is selfish and is only concerned with his own honor. This is seen almost immediately in the poem. In book one, during the tenth year of battle, Chryses visits Agamemnon and offers ransom for his daughter, Chryseis who was taken as plunder early in the war. Although the ransom is attractive, Agamemnon refuses the money because the girl represents power and glory and that is far more important than wealth. Plunder represents victory; therefore, the more women Agamemnon possesses, the more glorified and powerful he feels. Eventually, Agamemnon returns the girl to her father; however, he insists that someone give him a female to compensate for his loss and restore his honor. He views the situation as a challenge to his authority and complains, "I alone of the Argives go without my honor. That would be a disgrace" (1.139-40). Agamemnon demands, the "Argives will give me a prize, a match for my desires, equal to what I have lost, well and good. But if they give me nothing I will take a p...
In the Iliad, revenge is the cause of many problems. There are main concepts that lead to having revenge in which it is pride, rage and emotional charged. Pride can lead to revenge by disbelieving in someone’s dignity. Rage can also result in having revenge by making a person become full of anger to the point that they can not hold it back any more. Emotional charges can result in revenge by someone who is very emotional and starts to have a negative aspect to what has happened.
Throughout history, revenge, or vengeance, has been altered by several cultures and even the American culture. This is shown throughout many ancient greek epics. Throughout these two epics, what is just revenge and what the action of revenge is are much different than what Revenge is seen through today’s society. Revenge is the main theme in The Iliad, with Achilles’ revenge on Agamemnon and Hector, and in The Odyssey, with Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus and Odysseus’s revenge on the Suitors, and these epics define how revenge was seen in the ancient Greek world.
There is another facet of Agamemnon’s character that plays a key role in his eventual punishment. That role is the role of Agamemnon the adulterer. Adultery plays a double role with Agamemnon. First, there is the girl Chryseis about whom Agamemnon admits to liking better than his own wife. Second, the Trojan War is about adultery. The entire war is centered on Helen’s act of adultery. Agamemnon is acting on a double standard. Adultery is the cause of the Trojan War, and is therefore bad. Yet, Agamemnon is cheating on his wife, ...
In Aeschylus’ The Agamemnon, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have to make tough decisions throughout the play, decisions they believe are justified. The actions of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra are not justified because they are caused by their blinding hubris and desire for power. Agamemnon makes the choice to kill his daughter just so he could lead his troops to Troy. Clytemnestra kills her husband, not just for revenge, but for his position and power as king of Mycenae. They make selfish choices and do not believe they will be punished for them. By exposing their true motives, Aeschylus makes it clear they are not justified in their actions.