The Difference Between Revenge And Revenge Against Agamemnon

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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

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