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Problems with justice in the oresteia
Problems with justice in the oresteia
Issue of gender in oresteia
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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.
Athena first addresses Apollo's argument of the superiority of paternity, but she allows compromise by never fully admitting that Clytemnestra's murder was morally justified. Initially, Athena announces, "I approve the male in all things... Therefore I shall not give greater weight to the death of a woman" (Eumenides 737-739). This is Athena's judgment, and it sets Orestes free not on the basis that he acted justly, but on the basis that she can "not give greater weight to the death of a woman." By using litotes, Athena belies sympathy for the female in her seemingly male-favoring judgment. In fact, the victory for Apollo and Orestes is far from complete. Before the judgment, Orestes meets the Erinyes and cries out, "O lord Apollo, see, they multiply; and they drip from their eyes a hateful stream" (Libation Bearers, 1056-1057). The Erinyes, a manifestation of the guilt Orestes feels for his mother, drive Orestes to the brink of sanity and exile him to Athens. Athena's judgment does not morally justify the murder; it only relieves Orestes of his suffering. The fact that Athena never dictates that Orestes acted with justice marks a compromised victory for Apollo and Orestes.
The Erinyes are initially compromised by their loss of h...
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...ey progress to their new status in an Olympian context. However, for this change to come about, Athena must give up a significant portion of her own power in Athens to share equal power with the Erinyes. Unlike most judges, Athena makes personal sacrifices to resolve the conflict, and she benefits with greater protection for her city.
Gender plays a major role in the conflict, and in her judgment, Athena satisfies both parties by announcing victory for Apollo and his argument for the importance of paternity, then acting to augment the power of the Erinyes and maternity. Ironically, Athena never acheives the purpose for which Apollo and Orestes originally sought her: she never concretely identifies which party acted with justice. By avoiding moral absolutes, Athena is able to satisfy everyone involved, including herself and her city, despite inherent sacrifices.
Both sides accepted the United States’ aid but they also sought to cut-off each other’s supply chain. While the Allies barricaded Germany’s ports with the British Navy, Germany began attacking merchant ships using their submarines, or U-boats. While Wilson was angered by the British tactics he was even more infuriated by the German’s. This would be the ultimate end of U.S. neutrality as Wilson would sternly address Germany’s actions and not Britain’s.
...ir racial characteristics. He also knew the value of the ethnic vote. Wilson on the other hand was a racist who brought his Virginia attitude with him to the White House. Perhaps the most ironic thing about these two men is the fact that Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1904 for helping resolve the Russian-Japanese fighting, and TR never was in office during the Great Wars while Wilson was. However, we did end up getting the United Nations from Woodrow Wilson’s presidency.
In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal, Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while Wilson became the “better” progressive president.
With the nation at war, Wilson set aside his domestic agenda to concentrate on a full-scale mobilization of the economy and industry. During the war, industrial production increased by 20 percent, daylight saving time was instituted to save fuel, the government took over the railroad system, and massive airplane and shipbuilding programs were launched. Ame...
Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. She is one of the 12 Olympians that live on top of Mount Olympus. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, strategy, skill, and justice, and the owl is her sacred bird. In Mandelbaum verse translation of the epic poem the Odyssey of Homer, Athena helped Odysseus by providing guidance, physical, and internal help. Without this help, Odysseus would have to forge the path home by himself and face the challenges that are to come alone. He would be left to face the wrath of both Zeus and Poseidon without another major god’s help. Athena aided Odysseus in the trials he was to face, which gave him the guidance and help he needed to return to his home, Ithaca.
...ples rather than the selfish materialism that they believed had animated their predecessors’ programs”(millercenter.org, n.d.). While Roosevelt believed more in the philosophy of “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, Wilson hoped “to cultivate the friendship and deserve the confidence of the Latin American states” (millercenter.org, n.d.).
... their bravery by fighting all these suitors, but it is with Athena's help that they are able to succeed.
The German’s unrestricted submarine warfare was the main reason for the U.S. to enter war. Wilson had tremendous support from Americans. The Germans had to be stopped. The attacks came without warning killing many innocent people (Winter and Baggett, 1996). The Germans sank numerous ships including our own. The most famous ship sunk was the Lusitiania. Aboard that ship 128 Americans were killed (http://www.angelfire.com/in3/wilson/wilson.html). The Lusitania was torpedoed without any notice. The Lusitania sunk in 18 minutes killing a total of 1198 people (http://www.poltechnic.org/faculty/gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html).
...ow Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a hero.
Aeschylus’ tragic trilogy, the only play to survive from Ancient Greece, repeatedly calls our attention upon a central concept of justice: justice as revenge. This is a relatively simple concept, with a powerful emotional appeal, linking vengeance to the family and their feelings for each other and for their collective honor. However, one must look past this superficial theme in order to fully appreciate and understand the depth and beauty of Aeschylus’ work, and regard it as a philosophical investigation into the concepts of justice rather than a great artistic fiction or a poetic exploration. The former approach is unfortunate because the Oresteia is not a rational argument. It is, on the other hand, an artistic exploration of abstract and theoretical issues. What matters in this case is the complexity of the feeling that emerges from the characters, the imagery, the actions, and the ideas in the story. In other words, the writer is dealing with a case of how human bei...
The power and influence of women is symbolized in Odysseus’ encounter with the dead in Hades. In the Underworld, Odysseus meets more women than men. He meets his mother and then a “grand array of women” (334). They all were “wives and daughters once of princes” (334). All of them are the legendary women who were the mothers of the greatest Greek lineages. This symbolizes how Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a
large amount of power. Not only did he have extreme power in the United States, but he
These three goddesses represent three different types of women in Greek society. Sarah Pomeroy, author of Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, believed that “the goddesses are archetypal images of human females, as envisioned by males” (8). Pomeroy understands the significance of the differences between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and what those differences meant for the women of Greece who were required to follow three important rules. The first rule was for the women to live a life of domesticity and motherhood. This was very important to the men in the society.
While Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States, he managed to accomplish some unthinkable feats, such as fighting for the passage of the 19th Amendment and establishing order in the entropic territories such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic by dispatching US Marines in these places. However, due to weak judgement and intuition, as well as inexperience, he made a feeble, manipulatable diplomat. During the Paris Peace Conference and throughout the ratification process for the Treaty of Versailles, Wilson’s ineptitude and stubbornness towards the Republican Party ultimately led the US senate to shoot down the Treaty.
The suspected start of the war- over the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta- was caused entirely by a godly conflict over who was the most beautiful- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, was selected to judge. He chose Aphro...