The Imagery of Bloodshed in The Oresteia
In the prologue of Agamemnon, the first play of Aeschylus' trilogy, The
Oresteia, the watchman implores the gods for "a blessed end to all our
pain." (20). He is asking for deliverance from the retributive system of
justice, where the only certainty is that bloodshed breeds more bloodshed.
The old men of the chorus in their opening chant, "Hymn to Zeus," declare
that suffering must be experienced before man can be released from this
ceaseless irredeemable bloodshed and thus be, "free from all the pain." (1)
They declare that it is a law laid down by Zeus "that we must suffer,
suffer into truth./ We cannot sleep, and drop by drop at the heart/ the
pain of pain remembered comes again,/ and we resist, but ripeness comes as
well." (177-184) Eventually, as the more and more of the agony of
remembered pain, the blood, drips away from the heart, there will be
"ripeness." The blood will be transformed from pain into a deliverance
from the blood vendetta.
Throughout the Oresteia, there is a transformation
in Aeschylus' use of blood imagery. In Agamemnon, he uses it to illustrate
the suffering and hopelessness that arise out of the vendetta system of
justice. Then, in The Libation Bearers, he continues use of the imagery as
the bloody cycle continues and also uses it to testify to the beginnings of
the search for a deliverance from all the bloodshed. Finally, in The
Eumenides, through a change in the pattern of the imagery, Aeschylus
illuminates the deliverance and "ripeness" brought forth by a new order
that breaks the cycle of blood deeds.
In Agamemnon, Aeschylus presents the sufferi...
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...caused by the
retributive system of justice. Aeschylus illustrates this process of
deliverance through the imagery of bloodshed . In Agamemnon, he uses it to
illustrate the hopelessness that results from the futile and unending cycle
of the blood vendetta. In The Libation Bearers, he uses the imagery to
further illuminate the impossibility of redeeming bloodshed and to testify
to the beginnings of the search for deliverance. Finally, in The Eumenides,
the images of bloodshed are transformed into ones of "ripeness" testifying
that a blessed end to all the pain can be found in a resolution between the
ancient vendetta and the new social order.
Works Cited
Aeschylus. Aeschylus, The Oresteia A New Translation for the Theater by Aeschylus,. Translated by Wendy Doniger and David Greene. University of Chicago Press, 1989.
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.
A comedian named Tom Naughton, who had made a reply documentary to the film “Super-Size Me.” called “Fat head,” it debuted in 2009. His angle was to show that there was no way that Spurlock, could have consumed the amount of calories that he claimed he consumed in a day’s time. He also went on to do the “McDonalds” diet for 30 days, but he took it to a different level and went to other fast food restaurants as well. Naughton, decided to use his common sense, that we wish, all responsible people would use when dining out, make better food choices for themselves as well as their children.
Beacham, Richard C. Later Stages and Stagings. The Roman Theater and its Audience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ Press, 1992.
It is easy to place the blame on fate or God when one is encumbered by suffering. It is much harder to find meaning in that pain, and harvest it into motivation to move forward and grow from the grief. It is imperative for one to understand one’s suffering as a gateway to new wisdom and development; for without suffering, people cannot find true value in happiness nor can they find actual meaning to their lives. In both Antigone and The Holy Bible there are a plethora of instances that give light to the quintessential role suffering plays in defining life across cultures. The Holy Bible and Sophocles’ Antigone both mirror the dichotomous reality in which society is situated, underlining the necessity of both joy and suffering in the world.
Director Morgan Spurlock undergoes a body changing research in his 2004 film Super Size Me. Spurlock does a great job of testing his argument to see if fast food can affect the body both positively and negatively and the experiment determines if it's the leading cause of obesity in America. Spurlock states, “America is the now the fattest nation in the world,” later adding, “Congratulations”!
2. Grube, G. M. A. The Drama of Euripides. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1961. 150-57.
In his documentary film entitled Supersize Me, creator Morgan Spurlock took on a challenge. His challenge was to eat McDonalds, and only McDonalds, for an entire month. There were a couple of rules, too. He had to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner and try everything on the menu at least once. If he was asked if he wanted to “SuperSize” the meal, he had to do it and eat the entire meal. Spurlock stopped exercising and limited his walking to be more like the average man. Before he began, he met up with three doctors, a nutritionist, and a physical therapist. This team of doctors was with Spurlock through the entire journey.
To summarize, the discovery of King Tut’s tomb provided many questions such as what the materials were that helped make his coffins and where the egyptians got them. But you now know the answers to these questions. Today, you learned that the purpose of a death mask is so the spirit would recognize the body, and that it’s made of blue glass and gold. You also learned what the three coffins were made of, and where the egyptians got the materials. Overall, I hope this essay answered most of your questions and provides you with a better understanding of King Tut’s
A captivating and humorous movie, Super Size Me is a documentary that revolves around the the body's response to unhealthy food. In the movie, Morgan Spurlock explores the results of eating only McDonald's for a solid month. Along with Morgan's experiment, the documentary focuses on all aspects of one's health and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a proper diet. Morgan also examines the obesity epidemic widespread throughout America along with the influence of the fast food industry. Overall, the movie was eye-opening in terms of staying healthy and focusing on the consequences of eating fast food, which is a customary practice in today's culture.
Shakespeare, William. "Othello". The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997. 2100-2172.
In the documentary “Supersize Me” by Morgan Spurlock, America’s obesity issue was exposed and pinpointed at one of the giant contributor and fast food marketer “McDonald's”. Throughout the documentary, many rhetorical devices were utilized to provide reasons as to how America’s obesity issue is dangerous and how Mcdonald's and major food companies contribute to this disaster in the American society. Drastic continuance of unhealthy eating habits on top of an increasingly growing population calls for an alarm to everyone. He then stresses the dangers of obesity and addresses the issue’s cause. Morgan creates a strong visual and effective argument that eating fast food is the key reason to America’s obesity issue.
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
The delicious flavor of the Big Mac and its delightful side French fries tends to make us not only drool, but to stop eating our homemade food and end our healthy way of living. Eating Fast Food has become a normal way of eating for anyone, it is just something “normal” to eat. Obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States. It has developed throughout the years, changing the American life style. But what is Obesity? Is when you do less movement than usual and you eat a lot of food. Fast-Food Restaurants have become the whole countries blame for people that have Obesity or are overweight, without knowing what really is causing the large amount of people with this illness.
In my search for meaning and purpose, I stumbled upon a truth – the search is more about the journey than the destination. A knowing began to simmer …we don’t choose our wounds of the flesh; rather freedom comes in knowing that we have a choice in how we respond to that suffering. What I believe today is my suffering is no less, or no more than another’s, it is just a matter of perspective. In the throes of the pain of living life on life’s terms, it often seems that I am alone, but my heart informs me otherwise. In the darkness, after wallowing around angrily licking my wounded pride, I begin to cry out to God in desperation. After a period of darkness, the degree of yearning resonates gently like the ripples on a pond, beckoning my heart
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. Gerald F. Else. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1967. Dorsch, T. R., trans. and ed. Aristotle Horace Longinus: Classical Literary Criticism. New York: Penguin, 1965. Ley, Graham. The Ancient Greek Theater. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991. Reinhold, Meyer. Classical Drama, Greek and Roman. New York: Barrons, 1959.