The family curse in Aeschylus ' the Orestia functions as an underlying theme throughout the trilogy being most prevalent in the first two plays of said trilogy, Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers. The curse is established well before the start of the trilogy beginning three generations before Orestes ' time, beginning with Pelops.
The significance of the family curse for the context of the Orestia however starts with two of Pelops ' sons, Atreus and Thyestes. Atreus and Thyestes ' impact on the curse arises when Thyestes seduces his brother 's wife Aerope while deciding which brother should take the throne. Atreus, who ultimately wins the throne, is angered by the act of adultery committed by his brother and devises a plan to exact his revenge
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When Orestes returns from exile he says to his sister Electra that he was told by Apollo to avenge their father 's death by killing their mother. After Orestes has murdered both Aegisthus Clytaemnestra, he is to stand trial for his actions which are the events that take place in The Eumenides. During the trial Orestes believes that he was in the right for killing his mother because he was instructed by a divine being, Apollo, to do so. In the end, Orestes is exonerated from his crimes during the trial due to the gods, specifically Athene and Apollo. With Orestes being exonerated, the cycle of killing and violence that is the family curse comes to an …show more content…
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
At first glance, the picture of justice found in the Oresteia appears very different from that found in Heraclitus. And indeed, at the surface level there are a number of things which are distinctly un-Heraclitean. However, I believe that a close reading reveals more similarities than differences; and that there is a deep undercurrent of the Heraclitean world view running throughout the trilogy. In order to demonstrate this, I will first describe those ways in which the views of justice in Aeschylus' Oresteia and in Heraclitus appear dissimilar. Then I will examine how these dissimilarities are problematized by other information in the Oresteia; information which expresses views of justice very akin to Heraclitus. Of course, how similar or dissimilar they are will depend not only on one's reading of the Oresteia, but also on how one interprets Heraclitus. Therefore, when I identify a way in which justice in the Oresteia seems different from that in Heraclitus, I will also identify the interpretation of Heraclitus with which I am contrasting it. Defending my interpretation of Heraclitean justice as such is beyond the scope of this essay. However I will always refer to the particular fragments on which I am basing my interpretation, and I think that the views I will attribute to him are fairly non-controversial. It will be my contention that, after a thorough examination of both the apparent discrepancies and the similarities, the nature of justice portrayed in the Oresteia will appear more deeply Heraclitean than otherwise. I will not argue, however, that there are therefore no differences at all between Aeschylus and Heraclitus on the issue of justice. Clearly there are some real ones and I will point out any differences which I feel remain despite the many deep similarities.
Electra is saturated with the Dionysian quest for vengeance that prevails also in The Bacchae. It is found again in Frankenstein, a work bubbling over with vengeful deaths. This Dionysian pursuit for vengeance is carried out on family offenders, whether they are of the family in question or not. Dionysus, a member of Cadmus' family, causes the death of his cousin Pentheus. Pentheus commits a deadly mistake when he denies Dionysus as a god and attempts to capture him, thus invoking the wrath of Dionysus. This is the same type of vengeance found in Electra's family. In Electra's family, if one commits a family offense, an unending cycle of the Dionysian principle of vengeance ensues: vengeance takes precedent over family ties, thus forsaking them. With Victor Frankenstein and his monster, the principle is also at work, though it exists for each of them in response to the other.
Justice is generally thought to be part of one system; equally affecting all involved. We define justice as being fair or reasonable. The complications fall into the mix when an act of heroism occurs or morals are written or when fear becomes to great a force. These complications lead to the division of justice onto levels. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Plato’s Republic and Apology, both Plato and Aeschylus examine the views of justice and the morality of the justice system on two levels: in the city-state and the individual. However, Plato examines the justice system from the perfect society and Aeschylus starts at the curse on the House of Atreus and the blood spilled within the family of Agamemnon.
The play's plot, in a nutshell, develops like this. After solving the riddle of the Sphynx, who had kept Thebes under a curse of some kind, Oedipus is invited to become king of the city. He marries Jocasta, the widow of the previous king, and they have two children. When the play begins, Thebes is again under some sort of curse, and Oedipus tries to find out its cause so that he can rescue the city. He is told that the cause of the curse is that the murderer of the previous king is still in the city and has gone unpunished. In the process of searching for the murderer, Oedipus discovers that it is he, himself, who is responsible and that he is actually the son of Jocasta and her previous husband. Horrified by his sins of incest and murder, Oedipus claws out his eyes. Jocasta commits suicide because she is so disgraced.
Orestes’ revenge is the first important example of the gods’ revenge in the poem. In Book 1, Hermes told Aegisthus, “’Don’t murder the man,’ he said, ‘don’t court his wife. Beware, revenge will come from Orestes…” (Homer 260). King Nestor delivers the story of Orestes’ revenge to Odysseus’ son Telemachus, while Telemachus is visiting Nestor to discover answers about his fathers’ whereabouts. In Book 3 of The Odyssey, King Nestor tells this of Agamemnon, “…Aegisthus hatched the kings’ horrendous death” (Homer, 285). King Nestor continues on telling of the revenge Agamemnon’s son Orestes has on Aegisthus, “Orestes took revenge, he killed that cunning, murderous Aegisthus…”(Homer, 285). This example of Orestes’ revenge shows that the gods should be listened to or they will give horrific revenges to those who disobey.
The difference in Agamemnon’s and Odysseus’s approach of their homeland is a reason for their differing fates. Agamemnon, the king of Argos, returns from Troy after a safe journey. Once he lands on the shores of his native earth, his false sense of security renders him unsuspecting of the possible danger that lurks in his own home. His naiveté leads him to approach his home directly to show his people that he has returned. Since his subjects were no longer loyal to him, his exposure leads to his demise. Their disloyalty is revealed when Aegisthus, the man who plots to kill Agamemnon, gathers the town’s best soldiers to ambush the king. Agamemnon meets Aegisthus, who organized a banquet where the king and his company are mercilessly slaughtered. Because he fails to assess the danger that exists in his homeland, Agamemnon meets his end soon after his return.
Throughout Oresteia, Aeschlyus uses blood to symbolize revenge by death. There are multiple instances of death in Oresteia. In the play The furies, Orestes, Clytemnestra’s son, was discussing with Apollo a plot to kill his mother. Orestes wanted
In this case, Orestes's suffering was answered. His fate was changed. However, it is important to note that Orestes did not commit hubris. He did not go out of the bounds of what the gods had set for him. Apollo told him to kill his mother, and he obeyed. Even though this contradicted the laws of the Furies, the help of the young, "new" gods prevailed. So, an answer to suffering is found in the end, but only for certain cases. Even in the final verses, a hint of change is found in the voice of the Furies, "All -seeing Zeus/ and Destiny, unite to seal our truce," (lines 1045-1046). It appears to be a case of a new generation of gods taking over an out-of-date decree.
In Herodotus’ story, the bones of tragic hero Orestes served as protection for the Tegeans. Fagle’s allusion is crucial to Sophocles’ depiction of redemption as a result tragedy, in Oedipus at Colonus. In Oedipus at Colonus, we finally witness the triumph of free will over fate. Due to free will, Oedipus is doomed to suffer, and because of his damnation, he learns to accept they ways of the gods and is thus blessed in death (Lines 424-433). We can therefore conclude that Oedipus’ desired free will to escape his fate, led him to redemption. Despite his redemption, fate continues to influence the lives of his children: Antigone and Ismene doomed to carry their father’s shame, and Polynices and Etiocles, doomed to kill each other. Overall, we notice that in Greek Culture, fate holds more power over free will, but it is only through free will that the Greeks through learning by suffering, and are thus blessed by their gods. In conclusion it is safe to say that though fate holds more influence over free will, both fate and free will are of equal value to the Ancient
In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon there are many different opinions about what kind of king and commander Agamemnon was. Some argued that he was good, while others dispute that his motives were wrong. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, gained a strong hatred for him, after he sacrificed his own daughter so he could go to war. Many believe that this was not necessary and could have been overcome. The chorus seems to agree with this to an extent, and feels that Agamemnon could have prayed and requested that he not sacrifice his daughter.
The cyclic thread of vengeance runs like wild fire through the three plays in Aeschylus’s Oresteia. This thread, with its complexity of contemporary and universal implications lends itself quite well to – in fact, almost necessitates – deeply interested study. While a brief summary of the Oresteia will inevitably disregard some if not much of the trilogy’s essence and intent, on the positive side it will establish a platform of characters, events, and motives with which this paper is primarily concerned. As such, I begin with a short overview of the Oresteia and the relevant history that immediately precedes it.
In Jean -Paul Sarte's play, "The Flies", the main character Orestes manages to lift a curse that has plagued the dwellers of Argos for decades. Both the current king of Argos and Zeus himself are perpetuating this curse for as long as possible for the curse keeps the people subservient and in a state of mourning and terror of their own actions; two things that both the king and Zeus favor in their rule over people. Orestes was actually a resident of Argos and is the first child of the Queen Mother and the dead king. He returns to Argos with a traveling companion, the Tutor, who used to be the child's teacher in the ways of the world. Now the man is Orestes' slave and close advisor. Orestes' stance towards the Tutor and their past relationship essentially effects his ability to break the curse in Argos.
Oedipus is not the only one that tries to escape the curse. Iocaste also tried to escape the curse. She knows about it before Oedipus, himsel...
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.
According to Jocasta, “Apollo said that he would die at the hand of a child-- of mine”, meaning that King Laius was warned that if he married Jocasta and had a child with her it would result in his own downfall. Laius, of course, disregards this warning, sentencing all characters to suffer for his misdeeds because he meets the conditions. Inversely, Oedipus’ punishing fate is resultant of this decision rather than of his own actions. He is the tool that must be used to bring calamity on the house of Thebes without option. On several occasions he does everything that he can to avoid misfortune, but in his attempts to avoid calamity, his resulting actions spurn on the inevitable. He is only able to use the information that he has obtained from the oracle to avoid fate and does so to the best ability in putting distance between himself and his supposed parents. On several occasions the chorus in the play reference that if Oedipus lives a life of suffering, then tragedy could befall anyone. In one example the chorus says, “Mighty Oedipus--... proof that none of us mortals can truly be thought of as happy”. It is understood that this quote indicates that when Oedipus is sentenced to tragedy, then fate and the gods of Sophocles’s play are proven to be fickle and able to cast anyone into