Abstract
This paper is about "The Oresteia" by Aeschylus. It asks whether justice is ever achievable, and who defines "justice". The paper asks: How do questions of justice draw in issues of fate and human will?

From the Paper
"In The Oresteia by Aeschylus the ancient law requires that blood must be paid for with blood in an unending cycle of doom. The idea was that nothing can wash away a bloodstain except for more blood. Many years after king Agamemnon's murder by his wife Clytamnestra with the help of her lover Aigisthos Agamemnon's son Orestes returns surreptitious to his home in Argos to visit his father's grave. He has returned to Argos on a mission he has been sent by an oracle of the God ..."

Tags:The Oresteia, Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Argos, Apollo, siege of Troy, Justice, revenge, the rule of law

Abstract
This paper explains that the trilogy of the great classic dramas by Aeschylus, which comprise the "Oresteia", embodies the competing concepts of justice as administered by a stable and unified state versus justice as administered at an individual or family level that arise out of revenge. The author points out that these dramas show the intense and often brutal conflict that existed between these two very different views of law. The paper relates that, in the end, the dramas succeed not as much in depicting an existing social reality but rather in idealistically propagandizing in favor of the importance of an objective administration of justice. The author examines each of the three Aeschylus plays in order to keep an essentially linear presentation in respect to its dramatic unfoldment and resolution.

Table of Contents
"Agamemnon"
"Choephori"
"Eumenides"

From the Paper
"The core problem of subjective justice, or the rule of personal vengeance, is of course its unending cyclical nature ("Act for act, wound for wound!" cries Clytemnestra in the Agamemnon, l. 1555.) Crimes are punished, but the punishment itself becomes the seed of a future crime which itself requires further vengeance, with no obvious end. This has long been recognized as a universal situation with regard to this sort of justice, and the tragedies of the Greeks, most notably the trilogy herein examined, make it their theme to address this ancient cycle."

Tags:city-states, revenge, punishment, aegisthus, agamemnon

Abstract
This paper reviews Aeschylus' "Oresteia" in which Aeschylus uses the Agamemnon myth to convey his messages. It examines how Aeschylus' main purpose in the "Oresteia" is not to explore the psychology of his characters but to narrate the story of the House of Atreus, its theological aspects and its relevance to the contemporary political situation. It focuses on Aeschylus' use of the story of the House of Atreus in order to make relevant points about the society he lived in and whether he was successful in doing so. Also discussed is the use of charter myth and gender.

From the Paper
"First of all, the story of the House of Atreus is not only of one generation, but in fact includes the terrible happenings between Atreus and his brother Thyestes, and then the abduction of Helen from Menelaus; these things are implied by Aeschylus in a very circumspect manner but not actually mentioned although they are an integral part of the Atreus curse, they are not necessary to the plot and therefore not included. Aeschylus gets away with this because his play is not original material as such, it is based on a myth widely known throughout his culture, he can safely assume that everyone watching the play will already know the tale and will therefore "fill in the gaps" themselves. This is, of course, a major point; would Aeschylus tell a story for its own merits if he knew that his projected audience was already aware of the outcome of the tale?"

Tags:aeigisthus, agamemnon, areopagus, athens, clytemnestra, delian, electra, eumenides, gods, menelaus, thyestes, troy

Abstract
This paper studies the concepts of matriarchy and patriarchy as portrayed within the ancient Greek tragedy "The Oresteia" by Aeschylus. Aeschylus believed a matriarchal society was destructive and used his play to make this point. The paper examines how he used both human characters and gods to represent both sides of the issue.

From the Paper
"The Oresteia, a trilogy by Aeschylus, contains many independent themes woven in amongst one another. Perhaps the most prevalent theme in the plays is the conversion from a matriarchal society to patriarchal a society. In antiquity, societies were by and large patriarchal and, because he is of this time, Aeschylus attempts to describe how bad things would be if this wasn't so. In order to understand how and why the transformation from a matriarchal to patriarchal society takes place in the Oresteia, one must examine these changes on both the human and the divine levels."

Tags:agamemnon, apollo, clytaemestra, eumenides

From the Paper
"Agamemnon and Ulysses both fought in the Trojan war and then set out to return home. Agamemnon managed to go directly home, but Odysseus had offended Poseidon and was made to wander for many years before he was able to make his way home. Each man had a wife waiting for him, though these women show very different natures while at the same time reflecting the fact that they have very different husbands. Clytaemnestra has a lover and is plotting the death of her husband, but she has reason for doing so given that he killed one of her children. Penelope is dutifully waiting for her husband to return as she is surrounded by suitors who want Odysseus's kingdom. The two women have different reactions not only to their husbands but to their children, and each story shows a social complexity that helps shape the reactions of the women. Each woman possesses a role in ..."

Abstract
Concepts of justice in Aeschylus' play, "Oresteia" are examined and discussed in this paper.

Tags:Aeschylus, Greek, tragedy

Abstract
This paper explores the trilogy of great classic dramas by Aeschylus that comprise "The Oresteia" and what can be seen as the embodiment of the competing concepts of justice. The paper further considers the difference in justice as administered by a stable and unified state versus justice as administered on an individual or family level and arising out of the motive of revenge. The paper refers to these contradictory concepts as objective and subjective justice.

From the Paper
"In the trilogy of great classic dramas by Aeschylus that comprise "The Oresteia", what can be seen is the embodiment of the competing concepts of justice as administered by a stable and unified state versus justice as administered on an individual or family level and arising out of the motive of revenge. We can refer to these contradictory concepts as objective and subjective justice. These dramas show the intense and often brutal conflict that at one point must have existed between these two very different views of law, and in the end, they succeed not as much in depicting an existing social reality but rather in idealistically..."

Tags:aeschylus, greek, justice

Abstract
This paper examines the topic of rage in Aeschylus' "The Oresteia", a triad of plays that chronicle the downfall of the royal house of Argos. The paper focuses on the role that rage, as a psychological phenomenon, plays in facilitating the dramatic and tragic action and consequences that characterize this play. Specifically, the author focuses on the character of Clytemnestra."

From the Paper
"Psychologically, we can think of rage as being a kind of all-consuming anger that facilitates and encourages irrational behavior. A person enraged is likely to do things that are not in his or her own best interests and which can have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate, visceral pleasure of satisfying the rage. This is evident in Aeschylus' The Oresteia, specifically in the character of Clytemnestra, whose enraged actions in the play Agamemnon create significant ripples that fuel the drama and tragedy of that play as well as the following two of the triad. Rage is the basis of Clytemnestra's actions; her rage is the catalyst for the death and carnage that follows."

Tags:greek, aeschylus, clytemnestra

Abstract
Examines the relevance of gender-specific themes in the three plays of the ORESTEIA trilogy by Aeschylus. AGAMEMNON, THE LIBATION BEARERS (CHOEPHORIA) & EUMENIDIS (FURIES). Discusses curse of the House of Atreus & the Trojan War. Plots. Characters; their motivations, actions & relationships. The important role Agamemnon plays in sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia, which sets the tragedy of the triology into motion.

From the Paper
"This research analyzes gender issues in Aeschylus's Oresteia trilogy, comprising the plays Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers (Choephoroi), and Eumenides. The relevance of gender-specific themes that emerge in the plays will be discussed.


The Oresteia cannot be understood without reference to the curse of the house of Atreus of Argos, which is bound up with the legend of the Trojan war. The curse began when Atreus killed sons of his brother Thyestes, who had seduced Atreus's wife. After a banquet in which Atreus fed Thyestes's children to him, Thyestes laid a curse on Atreus's descendants. Atreus's two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, married two sisters, Clytemnestra and Helen, respectively, and when Helen either eloped with or was abducted by Paris to Troy, Agamemnon, like Menelaus, assembled an army of Greeks and prepared to sail for Troy. But that..."

Abstract
Using the art of the Parthenon and the play "The Oresteia", written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, this paper determines a number of morals and ideals that the Ancient Greeks held in high esteem. In the first few paragraphs, the paper describes the various metopes in the Parthenon. It examines which gods and important Greek characters are depicted, what it is they are doing and how this represents a given Greek ideal. The paper then explores "The Oresteia" and uses important lines to either determine other Greek ideals or uses them to underscore the importance of an ideal already talked about in the segment on the Parthenon. Through comparing the Parthenon and "The Oresteia" the paper determines that the Greeks were a highly civilized people that believed highly in bravery, pride, civic duty, civility, order and justice.

From the Paper
"Greeks were the most civilized peoples in the fifth century BCE as well as the best fighters. This was, of course, according to their standards. Their success as warriors and the importance of the Apollonian way of life is inscribed on the walls of the Parthenon and within the pages of The Oresteia. The Parthenon's gracefully sculpted friezes unite with "schylus" trilogy and both are founded on pride and bravery. There is an obvious mindset, almost a moral code among the Athenians. They believed moderation and civility were the keys to success and it was up to them to impose this onto other races. An Athenian who didn't abide by this code was a pariah of sorts, to say the least, and was portrayed as such through the Parthenon and The Oresteia."

Tags:Gaia, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Libation, Bearers