Justice In Orestes

Justice in Orestes

Aeschylus is primarily concerned with the nature of justice. In the trilogy The

Oresteia, the Akhaians evolve from an older, more primitive autocratic form of

justice, to a new concept of civil justice devised by Athena. He confronts the

contrast between the old and new orders, the lives of the members of the House

of Atreus, and the serious moral questions that Orestes' crime presents.

The case against Orestes is strong. The son admits to striking down his mother,

in violation of the sacred tenant of kinship. "But I came back, my years of

exile weathered—killed the one who bore me, I won't deny it, killed her in

revenge." (Eumenides lines 476-478) This shows that Orestes was fully aware of

the act he was committing, that he willfully committed it, and that he must

suffer for it. The bond between mother and child was broken when Orestes

murdered Clytaemnestra. Marriage, arguably, is a tenant of Zeus and the

Olympians. In the old order of things, family is by blood only. A husband and

wife have no blood relation, yet the son is of the same blood as his parents.

The Furies right to vengeance cannot be dismissed.

Clytaemnestra is one who upheld the laws of the Furies. Agamemnon's murder of

Iphegenia at Aulis was pure outrage. "Yes he had the heart to sacrifice his

daughter , to bless the war…" (Agamemnon lines 222-223) Agamemnon killed his

own blood relation in order to sail for Troy. This too, is a terrible crime,

seemingly of the same weight as Orestes' act. Clytaemnestra believed she was

justified in avenging her daughter, because her husband violated a sacred tenant

of the old gods. "Here is Agamemnon, my husband made a corpse by this right

hand—a masterpiece of justice. Done is done." (Agamemnon lines 1429-1431) This

shows a clear morality behind Clytaemnestra's motives. She appears to have

justification for her actions. The curse on the House of Atreus is fulfilled.

In the last lines of Agamemnon the chorus foreshadows Orestes' return.

Clytaemnestra responds by saying to her new husband, "We will set the house in

order once for all." (Agamemnon lines 1708) The chorus's purpose for suggesting

Orestes's return is to show that the house is not yet cleansed of the curse..

Like his mother, Orestes possesses what he believes to be a just motive for

revenge. Unlike his mother, however, Orestes has reservations about killing. He

does not wish to strike down his mother, but realises that he must. The defense

of Orestes is rooted in the fact that Apollo ordered him to do so.