The “House of Atreus”: The Everlasting Cycle of Death

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The “House of Atreus”: The Everlasting Cycle of Death

In the “House of Atreus”, there is a cycle of death that is eventually broken. The ill-fated house contains a progressive series of sins that is set in action by the primary character Tantalus. The central message of the story is that human actions driven by human passions lead to an everlasting cycle of destruction, evil, and death; only with human reason and a sense of responsibility that comes from guilt can that cycle be broken.

The theme of relentless eternal sin is further shown by the conflict between arrogance and humility. Tantalus and his daughter Niobe defy the Gods and think of themselves as superior to all. They both are evil, and they represent the Greek driven acts by the animalistic concept of passions. They sin for the sole purpose of their egos, and the things the two of them do are illogical to the human perspective. Even when the Gods are generous towards Tantalus, he still acts in a horrific manner, “that no poet ever tried to explain his conduct” (Hamilton 346). Niobe’s arrogance displays her views of society especially when she thinks, “and what is she as compared with me?” (Hamilton 349). Niobe’s words and actions reflect her arrogance. She says again, “make your sacrifices to me” (Hamilton 349). The arrogance of Niobe and Tantalus are heard in heaven, and the Gods will always punish those who think they are not flawed. Both Tantalus and Niobe lack the humility that is favored by the Gods, which Orestes later demonstrates. Tantalus and Niobe are two of the issues, and creators of the circle of evil, and they are the reason for Greek passions, and what not to be.

The story of Clytemnestra embodies the concept of sins leading to more sins. This conce...

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...ut life’s killing sprees’ and circles of death there are still circle(s) of life. Quoting the Ghost of Mufasa from the Lion King, ”You have forgotten who you are… You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.” This quote has great significance in life. In the “House of Atreus” the characters forget that they are part of a chain, and that chain is the circle of life. When one person is misplaced, the entire circle is in great turmoil and devastation. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” This powerful quote by this incredible man shows that what many of the characters in the “House of Atreus” do is despicable and is just slowly destroying the world one death at a time. A main feature to take away from the “House of Atreus” is that everything you do in life has a consequence.

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