Aeschylus in the Oresteia, an ancient Greek trilogy, about the murder of Agamemnon by his wife, Clytaemnestra, Orestes' avenging his father, and then the trial Orestes faces after the murder of his mother. Aeschylus uses the play to explore the concept of justice and how it should be served.
The Furies, ancient deities, are goddesses of revenge and Clytaemnestra urges them to vindicate her by punishing her son that killed her. She states, "I go stripped of honor, thanks to you, alone among the dead. And for those I killed and the charged of the dead will never cease, never- I wander in disgrace, I feel the guilt, I tell you withering fueled from all the outraged dead (Line 100, Eumenides)." Without justice for her death, Clytaemnestra may never rest peacefully in Hades, which is why revenge has no end.
"It is the law: when the blood of slaughter wets the ground it wants more blood (Line 393 Agamemnon)," said the chorus of old men who Aeschylus uses to elaborate more on the central themes of the play. The house of Argos has been plagued with vengeance. Aegisthus holds a grudge against Atreus, Agamemnon's father, for dishonoring his father, Thyestes, who is also Atreus' brother. Long ago, Thyestes was exiled from Argos for challenging Atreus for the crown but then was fooled into coming back home and feasting on his children's flesh. Clytamenestra was angry with Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter, Iphigeneia, for favorable winds to Troy. Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra both wanted Agamemnon's blood spilled for different reasons but needed each other to accomplish it. Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytamenestra, is outraged at his mother's actions because his father died dishonorably, his birthright was taken away, he was driven to exile, and his sister was treated as a slave. To be an avenger is to tip to scales of justice back and forth, but to be a judge is to administer proper justice and level the scales.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, aids the situation by demonstrating a legal system that judges fairly with an impartial jury, which is very similar to today's trial by jury. The prosecutor, the Furies, and the defense, Orestes and Apollo, the god of prophets, both get to present their case to the jury and hope that they find them in the right.
The arguments for both sides were very interesting because it unraveled the societal importance of males and females. Which act of murder was more impious? The Furies argued that Orestes had killed his mother who shares the same blood and nursed him as a child. Conversely, Apollo states that the relationship between husband and wife is more sacred and is blessed by the highest goddess herself, Hera. Apollo, in addition, does not believe that a woman is a parent but a field the seed is planted and grown in and the father is the source of life. Athena is a prime example of how the mother is unnecessary in the conception of a child because she was sprung from the mind of Zeus. The Furies found hypocrisy in Apollo's argument on how patriarchy was more important because Zeus himself overthrew his father, Cronus, in order to rule. However, Apollo counteracted the statement by explaining that Zeus did not spill his own father's blood but merely suppressed his authority by caging him with the other titans. The Furies are enraged with the double standards Apollo is claiming; Orestes can avenge his father, but Clytaemnestra cannot avenge her daughter. Clytaemnestra states after she had murdered Agamemnon, "but he sacrificed his own child, our daughter, the agony I labored into love to charm away the savage winds of Thrace. Didn't the law demand you banish him? - hunt him from the land for all his guilt? But now you witness what I've done and you are ruthless judges (Lines 1441 Agamemnon)."
The jury found both arguments equally compelling and it was an even six votes for each. Athena's vote for Orestes' breaks it and he is released from his guilt and punishment. The Furies threaten Athens with torment and darkness for their injustice. Mainly, they are upset with the Athena and Apollo, the new Olympian gods that have ridden their ancient powers. The newest generations of gods are turning the old world order upside down and the Furies' pride is injured.
Athena finds a solution to the Furies' anger by offering them a equal rule in Athens. She wants to them to have an important role in the Athenian lives and be glorified for their good deeds. Their names would be changed to Eumenides, the Benevolent Ones, and they would be worshipped as goddesses of light instead of feared goddesses of the night. This pleases the ancient deities because their role in the world is not lost with the new generation, but incorporated to make it better.
Aeschylus through a captivating plot line and eloquent language glorifies the Athenian legal system of administering justice. Instead of the violent act of revenge that is ceaseless, the trial presented a fair and effective way of appeasing everyone. Orestes' restored the house of Argos and his proper place on the throne and the Furies found their new role in the world.
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