The Oresteia In the trilogy Oresteia, the issues concerned are the transformation from vengeance to law, from chaos to peace, from dependence to independence, and from old to new. These four significant changes all take place throughout the play and are somewhat parallel to the transformations that were going on in Ancient Greece. In Aeschylus' trilogy, the Greeks' justice system went through a transformation from old to new ways. In the beginning of the trilogy, the characters settle their
individuals. Aeschylus uses The Oresteia in order to explore these issues as characters in the play try to determine what it means to be just, what a just actor does, and what is the best model or means of achieving justice. The characters discuss ideas such as vengeance, reciprocity, balance, moderation, and finally the end result of the implied debate leads to a jury system. In this paper I will go over two of the several different interpretations of justice used in the Oresteia and compare and contrast
Vengeance in Oresteia From the beginning of time vengeance or retribution has been part of the human condition. This is especially true in Aeschylus's trilogy the Oresteia. One of the underlying themes in these works is Oculo pro oculo or an eye for an eye. According to the plays introduction by Richmond Lattimore, the history behind this blood feud of vengeance begins with Atreus and Thyestes. Atreus tricks his brother Thyestes into partaking of his own children (another possible Hannibal
There is a distinction between men and women within the Oresteia that presents a detachment within the house of Atreus and in turn Athens. However, the three plays of the Oresteia provide a conclusion to the battle of the sexes. Characters within the play show their side to misogyny or misandry. It is quite obvious that the women are misandrists, while the men are misogynists. This division between men and women within the Oresteia reflects the division within the household, but is overcome through
Justice in the Oresteia Justice is often taken for granted in the world we live in today with a judicial system that gives fair punishment for most crimes. In the Oresteia justice works much differently, where there are no judges or a court system to resolve disputes, instead there is revenge. Revenge is very messy because somebody will and has to get hurt first to desire revenge, and it leads to a cycle that cannot and will not end until everybody is dead. Justice does not and cannot only
Justice and Revenge in The Oresteia In Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, justice and revenge are a dominant theme throughout the three plays. When people think of the term justice they often think in relation to a justice system. While there are no judges, jurors, or a court system in The Oresteia, there is a different type of justice throughout the plays. In Agamemnon, Aeschylus focuses on revenge as a type of justice system. Historians say that Aeschylus lived during the establishment of democracy, a
Employing an advanced technique, Aeschylus fills his tragedy, Oresteia: The Agamemnon, with layers of multiplicity. Essentially, multiplicity in this tragedy entails using dialogues containing several meanings to convey truths about Greek society and to shed light on situations outside the current action. Aeschylus’ use of this dramatic tool contributes to the success of the novel and adds depth to the meaning of the characters’ conversations. Furthermore, it affords the audience an opportunity to
In “The Oresteia” trilogy, the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus advocates the importance of the male role in society over that of the female. The entire trilogy can be seen as a subtle proclamation of the superiority of men over women. Yet, the women create the real interest in the plays. Their characters are the impetus that makes everything occur. The most complex and compelling character in the three plays is Clytaemnestra. Clytaemnestra is consumed with thoughts of revenge. She seeks vengeance
In the Greek play, the Oresteia, suffering acts as a vital role in the lives of the main characters. One character, the chorus, discusses suffering at great length. The chorus is made up of old men who were too old to fight against Troy, and who often give the audience an inside view to the actions happening on stage. The chorus sites hubris, the Greek word referring to mortal pride or arrogance, as being the cause of many bad fates. Someone guilty of hubris aspires to be more and do more than
In this essay I intend to discuss how Aeschylus presents Clytaemnestra in the Oresteia and how he marks the extent to which traits of Clytaemnestra's character remain defiantly unchanged as she manipulates events and characters around her. Clytaemnestra is the only character who appears in all three plays in the trilogy, but despite her immense stage presence she remains a troublesome character to interpret due to the highly ambiguous nature of her words. I intend to show that the key to unlocking
Justice in Aeschylus' The Oresteia How can an endless and violently destructive cycle be just? The concept appears in places along the human timeline as diverse as the Bible and West Side Story. Why do people have a tendency to amplify and repeat violence through a cycle of murder and revenge, and how can this destructive process be called justice? In The Oresteia, the cycle is a familiar one, but is also interweaved with gender issues and a sense of justice that changes within the cycle itself
blood and death have to take place. Similarly, in Oresteia, blood symbolizes something deeper than just tragedy; it symbolizes that in order to acquire revenge there must be tragedy. Throughout Oresteia, blood symbolizes two specific types of revenge: revenge by death and revenge by a curse. The symbolism of blood is seen in Oresteia. Throughout Oresteia, Aeschlyus uses blood to symbolize revenge by death. There are multiple instances of death in Oresteia. In the play The furies, Orestes, Clytemnestra’s
The Resolution of Conflict in Aeschylus' Oresteia Aeschylus, was a master dramatist - he liked to portray conflict between persons, human or divine, or between principles.1 His trilogy of plays, the Oresteia, develops many conflicts that must be resolved during the action of the Eumenides, the concluding play of the trilogy. The central theme of the Oresteia is justice (dike) and in dealing with questions of justice, Aeschylus at every stage involves the gods.2 The Oresteia's climactic
Justice and Aeschylus' Oresteia At first glance, the picture of justice found in the Oresteia appears very different from that found in Heraclitus. And indeed, at the surface level there are a number of things which are distinctly un-Heraclitean. However, I believe that a close reading reveals more similarities than differences; and that there is a deep undercurrent of the Heraclitean world view running throughout the trilogy. In order to demonstrate this, I will first describe those ways
The Imagery of Bloodshed in The Oresteia In the prologue of Agamemnon, the first play of Aeschylus' trilogy, The Oresteia, the watchman implores the gods for "a blessed end to all our pain." (20). He is asking for deliverance from the retributive system of justice, where the only certainty is that bloodshed breeds more bloodshed. The old men of the chorus in their opening chant, "Hymn to Zeus," declare that suffering must be experienced before man can be released from this
The Conflict in The Eumenides of The Oresteia In The Eumenides, the third book of The Oresteia, there exists a strong rivalry between the Furies and the god Apollo; from the moment of their first confrontation in Apollo’s temple at Delphi, it is clear that the god and the spirits are opposing forces. Their actions bring them into direct conflict, and both of them are stubbornly set on achieving their respective goals while at the same time interfering with or preventing the actions of the other
Sleep Imagery in The Oresteia Sleep—it's what divides the day and the night; the conscious and the subconscious; the aware and the unaware. It's image, then, is a powerful tool for polarizing such extremes. In his trilogy, The Oresteia, Aeschylus utilizes sleep imagery to divide between those who are aware and those who aren't. Though sleep's meaning changes throughout the plays, Clytaemestra is always able to use it to her aid. Her story accompanies a shift in a justice system that defines
Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape Of deities or mortals, or of both, In Tempe or the dales of Arcady? What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? Grecian urns
The Judgment of Athena in Oresteia Athena resolves the conflicts of the Oresteia with an ambiguous judgment that seems to satisfy all parties involved. However, in any conflict, at least one party must make sacrifices to work toward a resolution. Athena achieves her paradoxical result by misleading Apollo to think that he has received total victory in judgment and by offering compensatory powers to the Erinyes, thus creating an illusion of satisfaction for all amidst a reality of compromise
The War-of the-Sexes in Eumenides In this essay I will examine the war-of the-sexes taking place in The Eumenides, the final play of The Oresteia. The plot of The Eumenides pits Orestes and Apollo (representing the male gods and, to a certain extent, male values in general) against the ghost of Clytemnestra and the Furies (equally representative of female values.) Of more vital importance, however, is whether Athene sides with the males or females throughout the play. The character of Orestes