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 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."
Abstract The paper discusses how Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus are the three most significant Greek playwrights that have affected the development of modern drama. Aeschylus, the oldest of the playwrights existing in the Greek period, gave modern drama the actor, the scenery and the dialogue that is significant to how theatrical works have been constructed throughout the history of theatre. Sophocles added the third actor and then set about transforming the dialogue of the play in a manner that allowed theatrical work to develop with dramatic movement for the characters and the spectators. Euripides created the prologue to allow the audience to comprehend the world that had been created on the stage. However, the paper explains that Euripides also changed the manner in which gender was viewed in theatre and he gave women strength that affected not only the drama of his time, but the drama of the modern world as well.
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?"
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."
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."
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."
Abstract This research analyzes topics related to gender in ancient Greek playwright, Aeschylus' "Oresteia" trilogy, comprising the plays "Agamemnon", "The Libation Bearers" (Choephoroi), and "Eumenides". The relevance of gender-specific themes that emerge in the plays are discussed.
From the Paper "The importance of engendered social roles is important to the action of the Agamemnon, although as Kitto points out, the play by no means makes clear that Aeschylus shares any particular social values articulated by the characters in the play. In any case, Clytemnestra literally plays the homebody, offering Agamemnon fulsome and public praise upon his appearance, fussing at her women to facilitate his grand entry into the palace. In words that drip with irony, she calls for justice to "lead him to a home unlooked for. The rest my care that never sleeps will order justly" (Ag. 21). Olson says that despite her wickedness, "it is impossible not to respect her, not to admire her.""
Abstract This paper analyzes how various representations of light and dark in Aeschylus's "Agamemnon", part of the "Oresteia", seem to mirror masculinity and femininity, respectively. It explains how these images also show how the play is mostly about how the female attempts to usurp male power, ultimately achieving it. Nevertheless, because there can never be absolute darkness or absolute light, the overthrow of the male can only be temporary.
From the Paper "In Aeschylus's Agamemnon, the use of light and dark revolves around their relation to the masculine and the feminine, respectively. Throughout the play, brilliant metaphors and images are used to express this idea, most obviously when related to Agamemnon and Clytaemestra. These images also show how the play is mostly about how the female attempts to usurp male power, ultimately achieving it. Nevertheless, because there can never be absolute darkness or absolute light, the overthrow of the male can only be temporary."
Abstract This paper presents a comparative and parallel study of the dramatic art of the most prominent Greek dramatists Aeschylus and Sophocles. The writer discusses the similarities and differences between the two tragic poets, both in terms of style and content, and explains how each dramatist uses the chorus. The writer also explains that where the dramatic art of Sophocles is characterized by accomplished symmetry and harmonious grace, that of Aeschylus is hard, grand and severe, and Aeschylus (referred to as the 'Master of the Grotesque') is rightly acknowledged as the inventor of scenic pomp and hyperbole. The writer believes that Sophocles' art of characterization is more complex than Aeschylus and explains how Sophocles uses the third actor to place the audience in a position to judge the chief character from at least three points of view. The writer further asserts that unlike Aeschylus, who is simple and direct, Sophocles carries an explicit irony in his plays and he presents not only the problems, but suggests the solutions also to the intricacies of human life in relation to the cosmic and social order. The writer concludes that, as a modern reader, Sophocles is the greater of the two dramatists.
From the Paper "Of the precious and inexhaustible treasure of the Greek endeavours in the realm of tragedy, very little has come down to the readers. We are aware of the names of a few tragedians with Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides being the being the most prominent. And with these three too, a very little of the whole number of works is left. The extant dramas are those that had been selected by the Alexandrian critics for the study of Greek literature. The reason for being their choice by the critics was their affordability as the best illustration of the various styles of tragic art. Regarding Aeschylus and Sophocles, (the two subjects of this term paper) we are left with seven pieces remaining of each."
Abstract This paper explains that, in the play "The Eumenides", Aeschylus,
while using many tragic elements to move the plot to its conclusion, nonetheless employs the unique feature of a positive ending, which is not contrived but rather well constructed from the elements throughout the play. The author points out that Aeschylus uses consistent symbolism and does not change the characters or the symbols in the story; instead, the changes occur from within and very gradually. The paper relates that the evolution of the play echoes the evolution within the depicted society during which conflicting forces were at work and the savage practices of the past were being replaced by the civilization of the new paradigm.
Tale of Contents
The Furies
Sacrifice and Redemption
From the Paper "This is the point where forgiveness rather than revenge comes to the forefront of the play. Athena's argument rests on the new order rather than the old. The emerging civilization is to be based upon understanding, forgiveness and atonement. Indeed, the foregoing events in the play have shown that violence begets violence. Revenge upon revenge is exacted, with never an end to the blood and death of citizens that could otherwise have proved worthy members of society. In the ultimate show of forgiveness and atonement, Athena shows that the Furies can have a place in the new society. This however comes not with a warning, but with an assumption that even the Furies have a sense of justice."
Abstract This paper is a symbolic analysis of Aeschylus? Prometheus Bound. The author characterizes Prometheus as Reason, Zeus as Force, and Fate as Futility. The paper makes the further argument that there is a hierarchy of power among these three, and explores the nature of each character. It also focuses a good deal on the struggle between Force and Reason.
From the Paper "In Aeschylus? Prometheus Bound, we see Prometheus as the embodiment of Reason, Zeus as the embodiment of Force, and Fate as the embodiment of futility. Prometheus, as Reason, has a greater will, or power, than Zeus has as Force. Zeus is subject to the guiding power of Fate. Moreover, while it may seem like a controversial statement, that same force, Fate, does not bind Prometheus. From this, it is possible to extrapolate a hierarchy of power. Force restricts aspects of the material world. Fate will direct or hinder Force. However, Reason has the power to triumph over both."
Abstract This paper discusses how Homer, Sophocles and Aeschylus were all writing about life, essentially, in which chaos and order are to be found in almost equal measure. Art, adhering as it does itself to some general rules, seems to be, like science and religion, a means of providing the world with some kind of moral order and of keeping chaos at bay.
