Like many plays of the time, Aeschylus' Oresteia is a group of three tragedies that was written for a festival in Athens. However at the end of the third play, the Eumenides, there is no tragic ending, as Orestes survives the Furies and the curse is broken. All three plays, however, concern serious themes that create drama and intensity for Ancient Athenian audiences, that make them not only miserable but angry as well. Typically after these three very serious and sad plays, there would be a sort
The Oresteia is a reactionary text to the Iliad, with all of the traditional values presented in the Iliad reversed, allowing Aeschylus to critique former Greek life and celebrate the modern civilization he would have viewed as Athens. Aeschylus’ play would have been seen by the male citizens of Athens. In other words, Aeschylus’ play would have been seen by those with the most power and influence in Athens. One of the most notable Athenian traits was their hubristic view of their culture. They considered
Aeschylus: The Oresteia is a brief analysis by Simon Goldhill of the famous Greek trilogy. In it, Goldhill connects the intricacies of Greek society to tragedy, explaining the impacts of politics and culture on Aeschylus’s work for the purpose of giving students and professors alike a deeper understanding of the series. He states that the goal of this book is to give in-depth analyses of certain key sections of the Oresteia so as to show the complexity of Aeschylus’s work. Goldhill focuses on specific
In Ancient Greece, if someone murdered a family member of yours, it was your duty to kill the murderer. This duty led to a cycle of violence between and within families, as shown in The Oresteia, written by Aeschylus. In his trilogy, many characters are in this cycle, but Orestes works through the justice system differently as he shows the movement from the cycle of violence to a more civilized form of a justice system, as demonstrated by the court system. Orestes is the son of Agamemnon and
As the Persian wars conclude the rise of the city-state of Athens begins, and ultimately sparks the beginning of democracy. In the play, The Oresteia, Aeschylus, the author, is essentially concerned with the aspect of justice. Throughout the complete trilogy, the greeks advance from a traditional and more primitive form of justice, to a new concept of cordial justice formulated by Athena, the goddess of reason. For the House of Atreus, this justice was no longer a personal responsibility to be executed
In Aeschylus’ play Oresteia, Orestes exacted revenge on his mother Clytemnestra by murdering her for killing his father Agamemnon. Clytemnestra was furious with Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter in order to get good winds from the goddess Artemis during the Trojan War. The exchange between Artemis and Agamemnon also shows how cruel the gods can be, but at the same time shows the selfish mannerisms of the mortals as Agamemnon gave up his daughter so easily. The relationship between the gods
In Oresteia, a series of plays by Aeschylus, the relationship between the old and new is portrayed. The plot of “The Eumenides” revolves around the conflict of how Orestes should be judged on his action of killing his mother. The Furies represent the older generation of Gods, who want Orestes convicted and punished for breaking the sacred tie between his mother and himself, a blood bond. Apollo, a young God, wants Orestes to be free, stating that Orestes action were justified because his mother killed
The Odyssey: Justification of Revenge The definition of revenge is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. Not frowned upon entirely, revenge can be viewed as a just act, but overdone causes greater forces (such as the police) to step in and prevent someone from crossing the line, or punishing them for an offense. So what made it acceptable to fight, battle and even kill a person who had wronged you in the era of the Greeks? What
In the Oresteia, Clytemnestra, the queen and wife of Agamemnon, plays a critical role as she is who changes how women can be when in control. She is distressed as horrid events occur to her but she does not show any sign of fear. Almost becoming like any other men, she becomes fearful and dangerous in order to get her vengeance on this one man that did her dirty. Gender is a major issue in this trilogy. The trial in the Eumenides can be seen as a battle between genders, with Apollo as the male
Who: Orestes What: He is being tormented by the Furies Why: He have to face the problem or else he would lose his mind because the furies are tormenting him because of what he had done. He was able to survive because he had Apollo to take care of him. Solution Attempted: Orestes seek the help of Apollo. He traveled to the Oracle at Delphi and Apollo told him to go to Athens and there Athena would help him. When Orestes arrived she listened to him and agreed that Athena would establish a courtroom