The Oresteia Trilogy: Revenge or Justice
Written by Aeschylus (ca. 525–456 BCE), “Oresteia: Agamemnon. Libation-Bearers. Eumenides” remains one of the greatest Athenian tragedies. The trilogy covers critical societal issues and depicts timelessness in addressing certain themes such as justice, revenge, family, betrayal, and religion, among others. Aeschylus uses different stylistic devices and characterization to develop and present the themes in a dramatic and engaging way that facilitates understanding. Through the tragedy, the author presents the murder of Agamemnon by his wife, Orestes’ (their son) revenge, the pursuit of Orestes by the Furies seeking revenge, his trial and exoneration, and the pacification of the Furies by Athena. The three parts cover different events,, from Agamemnon’s homecoming from the Trojan War and his murder, the reunion of his children, and their revenge by killing Clytemnestra to the trial of Orestes. Oresteia explores the themes of revenge and justice extensively. A critical analysis of the trilogy allows an in-depth discussion of the themes and the old and Athena (new) justice systems.
In Agamemnon, Aeschylus uses different characters, themes, and stylistic devices to show the thin line between revenge and justice. The tragedy outlines the return of Agamemnon to his wife and family after the Trojan War. Unbeknownst to him, Clytemnestra (his wife) had been planning to kill him as revenge for sacrificing their Iphigenia (their daughter). This tragedy uses the character of Clytemnestra to develop the theme of revenge as she, the wife of Agamemnon, seeks to avenge the life of Iphigenia who was sacrificed by her husband. Clytemnestra starts planning the revenge after Agamemnon leaves for the Trojan War. She focuses on serving the justice Agamemnon deserves for sacrificing their daughter to the goddess Artemis (Aeschylus, 2013). After killing Agamemnon and Cassandra with an ax, Clytemnestra states that his husband is evil and deserves to die. This shows the interconnectedness of the revenge to justice, by taking a life for a life. The themes in this case are intertwined, and, revenge or justice is determined by whoever the impact of the actions fell on.
While Clytemnestra believed that killing Agamemnon was justified, her actions might have been influenced by anger, feelings of betrayal, and a desire for revenge more than justice. As the queen, she starts having an intimate affair with Agamemnon’s cousin Aegisthus, which shows that she is angry and feels betrayed by her husband’s actions. Agamemnon’s return with Cassandra, an enslaved priestess, and his concubine, must have fuelled the anger and desire to kill him. Therefore, the death was more of revenge than serving justice. Additionally, even when Clytemnestra argues that Agamemnon deserved death to serve justice, the gruesome murder of Cassandra served to show that it was more of revenge and hate-inspired killing than justice. Additionally, Clytemnestra’s lover Aegisthus gives an arrogant speech that shows his influence in the planning and killing of Agamemnon (Aeschylus, 2013). As such, while it is arguable that she was meeting justice for the death of her daughter, the gruesome murder with an axe, the killing of Cassandra, and her lover’s speech point to revenge.
Further, the themes of justice and revenge are developed through the Orestes. Orestes seeks to mete justice to his mother for killing his father, Agamemnon. Orestes argues that he intends to kill his mother to serve justice but his dialogue with Clytemnestra points to an angry man seeking revenge for the failings of his mother. To start with, Orestes says, “I want to butcher you—right across his body! In life, you thought he dwarfed my father—die! …You love this man, the man you should have loved you hated” (Brian Wilkie, 1991). This shows that while Orestes sought justice for his father’s murder, his actions were influenced significantly by revenge. This is supported by what he tells his mother after she begs for her life. Orestes says, “Mother? You flung me to a life of pain… Disgraced me, sold me, a freeborn father’s son” (Brian Wilkie, 1991). These statements show that Orestes was angrier with his mother for disgracing his father and giving him off more than he was concerned with serving justice. Additionally, his decision to kill his mother might have been influenced by the hatred he had for his mother and her lover. Even when he proclaims that justice had been served, it is evident that it was more of revenge than justice.
The themes of revenge and justice are further advanced through the characters of the Furies (Erinyes or the kindly gracious ones), making it difficult to outline a clear distinction between justice and revenge. As the personifications of the vengeance and anger of the dead, the Furies focus on avenging deaths and serving justice. In The Eumenides, the Furies pursue Orestes to avenge the murder of Clytemnestra. According to Aeschylus (2013), the Furies were born of blood and are the avengers of natural order violations such as the killing of parents. While they are named the Eumenides (the kindly ones) in the Aeschylus tragedy, they seek to punish Orestes for killing his mother. As stated by Saval (2017), the Furies focused on punishing people for violating natural order regardless of the depth of the reasons for action. In the Eumenides, the Furies seek to punish Orestes despite killing his mother for killing his father (her husband). This order seems to focus more on revenge by tormenting rather than understanding the scenario and administering justice.
Aeschylus outlines the difference between revenge and justice through the jury of twelve Athenians summoned by Athena, the goddess of justice, to judge Orestes. This system differs from the previous ways of administering justice through revenge without judging and determining whether a person was justified in doing what s/he did. Athena’s renaming of the Furies to Eumenides shows the need to administer justice by showing mercy rather than ruthlessness. The system of justice established by Athena focuses more on justice than revenge. However, as seen in Athena’s vote for Orestes, it was influenced by the emotions and perceptions of the jury. For instance, Athena asserts, “I will cast my lot for you. No mother gave me birth. I honor the male… with all my heart, I am my Father’s child,” showing that her experiences and life influenced her vote (Saval, 2017). Even so, the judgment was measured and outlined the facts to determine the fate of the accused instead of prioritizing revenge.
In conclusion, The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; and The Eumenides outline the themes of revenge and justice extensively. Aeschylus places emphasis on outlining the nature of justice by describing the Akhaians’ autocratic justice system and Athena’s civil justice. The traditional justice system seems to center on revenge by meeting justice under the evil done. A person who kills another seems to receive the same form of action as revenge or justice for the murder, regardless of the actions of the victim. The contrast between the system and Athena’s system where the jury decides whether a crime justifies the punishment is evident. The system of juries adopted by Athenians and used to administer justice for the death of Clytemnestra differs significantly from the systems used by Clytemnestra in avenging her daughter and by Orestes in avenging his father. The older system of meeting justice seems more like revenge than justice.
References
Aeschylus. (2013). The oresteia trilogy. New York: E-artnow.
Brian Wilkie, J. H. (1991). Literature of the western world: The ancient world through the Renaissance. London: Macmillan Pub. Co.
Saval, P. K. (2017). Shakespeare in hate: emotions, passions, selfhood. New York: Routledge.
