Justice In Orestes :: The Oresteia Equality Justice Essays

Justice in OrestesAeschylus is primarily concerned with the record of justice. In the trilogy TheOresteia, the Akhaians evolve from an older, more primitive autocratic form ofjustice, to a bran-new concept of civil justice devised by Athena. He confronts the business between the old and new orders, the lives of the members of the Houseof Atreus, and the serious moral questions that Orestes iniquity presents.The case against Orestes is strong. The son admits to striking down his mother,in violation of the consecrated tenant of kinship. But I came back, my years ofexile weatheredkilled the angiotensin converting enzyme who bore me, I wont deny it, killed her inrevenge. (Eumenides lines 476-478) This shows that Orestes was fully aware ofthe work on he was committing, that he willfully committed it, and that he must fulfill for it. The bond between mother and child was broken when Orestesmurdered Clytaemnestra. Marriage, arguably, is a tenant of Zeus and theOlympians. In the old or der of things, family is by billet only. A husband andwife have no blood relation, only the son is of the same blood as his parents.The Furies right to vengeance cannot be dismissed.Clytaemnestra is one who upheld the laws of the Furies. Agamemnons murder ofIphegenia at Aulis was pure outrage. Yes he had the heart to give oneself up hisdaughter , to bless the war (Agamemnon lines 222-223) Agamemnon killed hisown blood relation in order to sail for Troy. This too, is a terrible crime,seemingly of the same burden as Orestes act. Clytaemnestra believed she wasjustified in avenging her daughter, because her husband violated a sacred tenantof the old gods. Here is Agamemnon, my husband made a ashes by this righthanda masterpiece of justice. Done is done. (Agamemnon lines 1429-1431) Thisshows a clear morality behind Clytaemnestras motives. She appears to havejustification for her actions. The curse on the House of Atreus is fulfilled.In the last lines of Agamemnon the chorus foresha dows Orestes return.Clytaemnestra responds by saying to her new husband, We will set the house inorder once for all. (Agamemnon lines 1708) The choruss calculate for suggestingOrestess return is to show that the house is not yet cleansed of the curse..Like his mother, Orestes possesses what he believes to be a just motive forrevenge. Unlike his mother, however, Orestes has reservations about killing. Hedoes not wish to strike down his mother, but realises that he must. The defence reactionof Orestes is rooted in the fact that Apollo ordered him to do so.