During this semester, we had read about Clytemnestra and her want of either justice or revenge against Agamemnon due to the fact that he killed Iphigenia, their daughter. Clytemnestra wants to then kill Agamemnon because of this hideous crime that he committed. After stabbing Agamemnon to death, she claims that the only reason that she did this was not for revenge, but in the name of justice for what he had done. Clytemnestra feels that Agamemnon must pay for what he has done, and this is the only fair way to handle this situation. When first analyzing this topic, one must first distinguish the difference between revenge and justice. Revenge is the act of retaliation against someone or something normally to make themselves feel better. …show more content…
Why are you handing out this punishment? Is it because you believe that it will rehabilitate the person who committed the crime, or because you are mad at them? Intent is one of the hardest things to quantify or make sure it is true or not. Clytemnestra can spin her reasoning two different ways. She can either claim that her intent was to get back at Agamemnon for killing their daughter and this was the harshest penalty she could think of, or Clytemnestra can claim that this was done to possibly prevent others from attempting to murder their children as this is what will …show more content…
Although her punishment for murder was not something farfetched, my thought is that her intent was not to fix the situation. She just wanted to get back at him for killing their daughter. It may have relieved her build up, but it was uncalled for.
Would she have acted the same way if it was a different father killing their daughter? We will not know that, but one can assume that there would be a lot less passion involved in the decision making process. This might lead to a clearer mind and possibly thinking of a better punishment that not only gives Agamemnon what he deserves, but also sets a standard as to what happens when a brutal crime like this occurs.
We can examine the difference between revenge and justice and make mark of differences and similarities. Both are a form of punishment, but only one is used in a morally ethical way. It is very easy to act out of revenge, but takes tremendous self-control to display acts of justice. One must take a step back from the situation, and try as hard as they can to view it from an unbiased vantage
While revenge may feel sweet at times, in most cases it is destructive to yourself and those around you. The article “Revenge:Will You Feel Better?” makes one contemplate this, and draws the question “is revenge really worth it?” Well, in the article, Karyn Hall suggests that “Revenge can be a strong urge, but you may not feel better if you act on it.” In fact, in a study performed by Kevin Carlsmith showed that “...the students that got revenge reported feeling worse than those who didn't…” With this, one may see that revenge is pointless, and in most cases leaves you feeling worse than the people you performed it
This action causes a great deal of rage in Clytemnestra. One could very well understand why she would act this way. Clytemnestra see’s the killing of her daughter as just being killed for her husband’s gain. She also feels that he could have chosen a different virgin to sacrifice. One the other hand, if one looks at Agamemnon’s problem they could be otherwise. Agamemnon was the general of his army and the leader that his men looked up to. So when the profit came to him saying I will give you wind for a virgin sacrifice he took it as sacrificing someone close to him. He thought along the lines that he was asked for a reason to be the one doing the actual sacrifice. So Agamemnon chooses his daughter the virgin and sacrificed her with good judgment for what was best for the army. The issue is that Clytemnestra does not see it this way and that is what causes the future events that make us to question her innocence.
... She was powerless to act otherwise. She was not a respected military leader like her husband. She couldn't bring him to court or change destiny in any other way. So, as a mother, she did what she felt she had to do. She acted for the justice of her child and her sex. When Agamemnon ordered the soldiers to put the bit in Iphigeneia's mouth before her sacrifice, it was because he didn't want to hear the cries of his daughter dying. Clytemnestra, however, forced her husband and the rest of Greece to hear the cries, the cries of the pained women and deal with the situation he did nothing to mend. For this she would be condemned, but because of her powerlessness, for this she was justified.
Revenge is best served cold or so says the well-known expression. This idea of revenge that they seek is usually to restore balance and take an “eye for an eye” as the Bible says. Revenge, if by chance everyone were in Plato’s perfect utopia, would be in a perfect form, where justice and revenge would be one, and the coined phrase “eye for an eye” would be taken literally. By taking an eye for and eye, and punishing those who did wrong equally as they did wrong, there is justice. However, this revenge sometimes goes too far and is consequently not justice.
Justice is part of revenge; as also for revenge is part of justice. “Justice” comes from a Latin word that means “straight, fair, equal”, it’s the quality of being righteous and loyal towards one’s state, although serves the interests of the stronger (Hourani, 1962), while revenge is the act of taking retaliation for injuries or wrongs. What ever the circumstances are being the individual who experiences a unjust act, results in the hunt for one of these two things: Justice or revenge. What are the key differences between the two? Justice can be defined as the concept of moral rightness, which is based on the rules of law, fairness, ethics, and equality among the governed citizens.
Revenge is such an enormous part of a being human. It is something that no matter how much you try to avoid part of you will persistently lust for it. When you are hurt in any way your natural instinct will always tell you to make the one who hurt you feel just as bad if not worse as how you felt. It is such a natural and powerful feeling, that when revenge is incorporated into a story it makes it so much stronger. Revenge will make you see so many more sides of characters and make them seem much more complex. Revenge can give fictional characters a more human quality. That is why so many writers use it as their theme.
Meir Kahane, an American-Israeli politician, said “No trait is more justified than revenge in the right time and place” (Kahane). Is it really? Will you heal yourself by hurting another one? When there was no more pain to make them feel will you feel satisfied, are you going to smile like a Cheshire cat? Feel yourself, feel and understand what you want to do and what is revenge. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, revenge is “harm done to someone as a punishment for harm that they have done to someone else” (“Revenge” --Cambridge Dictionary). Mahatma Gandhi, who is the leader of Indian Independence Movement said “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” (Ghandi). If there would be punishment for punishment,
Revenge is viewed in a different way by almost everyone, meaning that there is no definite answer as to if it is beneficial or not. The act of revenge has seen some drastic changes in perspective throughout history. During the Middle Ages, conflicts would not be regarded as resolved until they were avenged. In fact, many long-established justice systems (similar to the one that the Samurai class held in Japan's feudal past, that consisted of “revenge for honor”) are confined to only revenge. (Ikegami 1995) Even Modern Western legal s...
Although in some cases vengeance is thought to be calculated action, it is a truly dangerous force because the need for revenge can over take one’s life. Revenge acts like addiction, the need to be have the last word becomes an uncontrollable compulsion.
The concept of revenge is commonly portrayed in everyday life. Many find the need to inflict pain in different forms, whether it be physical or emotional, on another for wrong doings experienced at their hands.
In Agamemnon, Aegisthus did not physically commit the acts of slaying Agamemnon or Cassandra but acknowledges that death may very well be a punishment he will have to face, “death you said and death it shall be; we take up the word of fate” (1653). Aegisthus is aware that his actions may come full circle and result in his demise, but justifies that it had to be done to justify the wrongs committed by Agamemnon 's father. In The Libation Bearers, Orestes claims that Apollo “said that else I must myself pay penalty with my own life, and suffer much sad punishment” (276-277) should he not succeed in avenging his father 's death. This implies that if Orestes did not follow through with the murders the curse would continue onto the next generation and Orestes himself would become a victim of the curse on worse terms than presently. Orestes explicitly says to Clytaemnestra when he confronts her, “how shall I escape my father 's curse, if I fail here?” (925). Orestes knows that he will be plagued with the curse if he does not follow through with Apollo 's instructions. In the same play, the chorus too believe that with the killing of Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus the curse will come to an end as they say, “the bloody edges of the knives that rip man-flesh are moving to work it will mean utter and final ruin imposed on Agamemnon 's house” (859-863). The chorus in The Libation Bearers is
Clytemnestra's vengeance starts at Agamemnon's homecoming. She greets him with generous open arms and listens to his request for kind treatment of Cassandra. Welcoming both of them into the house, she has already plotted both of their deaths. She murders Cassandra only because she will not be humiliated by her husband's unwise choice to bring back a concubine, after sacrificing their innocent daughter. She states "his death the work of my right hand, whose craftsmanship justice acknowledges," showing no shame or remorse for killing her husband to ju...
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.
Revenge occurs everywhere in the present and some still seek revenge for past wrong doings. Because of the desire to fulfil the need for revenge, it can lead to an even bigger problem and can globally affect everyone. It can be difficult to determine when revenge can be justified but in my perspective, revenge can’t ever be justified since it can hurt and include other people that were caught in the problem. The two stories demonstrated that the idea of seeking revenge can consume your life and is very serious. It is best for us to let go of a grudge instead of making the other person suffer as much as you did as it is the mature decision. Revenge can be dangerous and immoral and people will go to any limit to seek revenge.
In Aeschylus’ The Agamemnon, Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra both took controversial actions. Though their actions were made due to unorthodox circumstances, neither of their actions could be justified. Both Agamemnon’s and Clytemnestra’s actions were made to benefit their own hubristic agendas, despite their claims otherwise. Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia so he could gain glory for both him and his army. Later, Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon due to a thirst for power, not as an act of retribution for her late daughter. In addition to their tainted motives, both Agamemnon and Clytemnestra possessed the presumptuous notion that their actions would go unpunished. Aeschylus clearly explicated the idea that both Agamemnon and