Justice in Oresteia

A detailed Summary of Justice in Oresteia

Justice and Social Order in the Oresteia

Democracy, emerging in the city-state of Athens, allowed unprecedented power to her citizens. Among these new powers was the ability to legislate. Yet, legislation was not without its problems. First the citizens must agree upon what is just and unjust, and then enforce the law by bringing the unjust to reconcile their guilt with the public through trial, and finally dispense the appropriate penalty. This evolution was not without concern. The Greeks were attempting to establish a governmental system which would span the middle ground between anarchy and despotism. By the crimes played out in Aeschylus' tragic trilogy The Oresteia, Aeschylus demonstrates the contrast between anarchy and despotism, and judges them both guilty. Indeed he shows, by the end of the play, that the only way man can be absolved of guilt is by joining leagues with the gods in a united effort to promote justice. His premise is supported by sequentially following the criminal legacy of the house of Atreus, and showing that the curse of continued injustice can only be ended by the cooperative effort of man and god.

Aeschylus draws his contrast between anarchy and despotism through the main characters in the play

Therefore, by the end of the trilogy it was demonstrated the power that democracy wielded. It was able to eliminate anarchy and despotism by the middle ground. Although this had previously been the role of the Erinyes (Eu., ln.526-30), they had through the play proven themselves unsuccessful. Thus at the end of the Eumenides, Aeschylus has the Furies relinquish governance of the city to the citizens, and bestow honor on the people (Eu., ln.1016-20).

Therefore Aeschylus demonstrated that democracy allowed for the union between man and gods that neither anarchy or despotism could achieve. Moreover, it was only through this union that justice could be served and the ancient laws and ways could be overturned. With this new social order, man celebrated unprecedented equality, honor and prosperity.

The story of Atreus and his brother Thyestes is told and alluded to many times throughout the trilogy. Thyestes seduced Atreus' wife, and in retribution Atreus took the matter into his own hands and determined a punishment outside of the societal law (Libation Bearers, ln.989-90). The most complete account of this anarchist travesty is related by Aegisthus (Agamemnon, ln.1578-611). Aegisthus states that his father Thyestes returned to Atreus' home, after his transgression, as a suppliant, and found Atreus a gracious host. Atreus welcomed his brother and prepared a great feast. After a "day of meat-eating with good cheer", Atreus revealed to his brother that the meat he had ingested and enjoyed was none other than Thyesetes' twelve children. It was at this point that Thyestes placed a curse upon the House of Atreus. In this case, Atreus distributed a punishment unbefitting the crime and acted on his own accord without

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Atreus Ag, Oresteia Aeschylus, Atreus Atreus, Oresteia Democracy, Troy Ag, Aegisthus Agamemnon, Aeschylus Furies, Agamemnon LB, Apollo LB, Atreus Eu, anarchy despotism, house atreus, curse house atreus, contrast anarchy, middle ground, anarchy agamemnon, curse house, acknowledges guilt, gods ag, despotism clytemnestra, people eu, contrast anarchy despotism,

Approximate Word count = 1160
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English