Oresteia Essay, Research Paper

In the trilogy Oresteia, the issues concerned are the transformation from vengeance to law, from chaos to peace, from dependence to independence, and from old to new. These four significant changes all take place throughout the play and are somewhat parallel to the transformations that were going on in Ancient Greece.

In Aeschylus’ trilogy, the Greeks’ justice system went through a transformation from old to new ways. In the beginning of the trilogy, the characters settle their matters, both personal and professional, with vengeance. Vengeance is when someone is harmed or killed, and either the victim, or someone close to them takes revenge on the criminal. This matter is proven in the trilogy numerous times. For example, Clytemnestra murders Agamemnon as revenge for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigeneia. Along those same lines, in the second part of the trilogy, Choephoroe, Orestes, who is Agamemnon son, murders Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. He does this in order to gain revenge on them for killing his father. It was by this way that people would deal with conflict, and it was thought to be not only a justice system, but also a honorable and fair. In fact, one of the principal purposes of the first play of the trilogy is to force us to recognize that justice based on revenge creates special difficulties, which in turn cannot be solved. It does not solve the problems that it is meant to, but only causes more problems that are even larger. As the third and last part of the trilogy begins, the system begins to evolve and change from vengeance to genuine justice. Instead of getting revenge on Orestes and killing him, they decide to put him on trial and have a jury decide whether or not he should be put to death. Although the jury ends up in a tie, and Athena has the final say in the matter, it still shows that the justice system has evolved and transformed as the book moves along.

Another way that transformation is shown in the trilogy is the way that it goes from chaos to harmony. In the beginning of the story, everything is hectic and does not settle down until the very end of the play. Not only is the country of Greece in turmoil because of the civil war, but also the family of King Agamemnon is full of chaos and disorder. Although in the beginning it looks like the chaos will not settle down, by the end, there is peace. Because in the end, Orestes is set free and acquitted of the crime, the reader is left with a feeling of calmness. Everything is settled and there is a sense of harmony, both in the city of Athens and in within the characters.

The third transformation also takes place in the Oresteia. This transformation is from dependence to independence. When the play begins, the characters rely greatly on the gods to direct their lives and tell them what they should do. They depend on the gods to explain everything that happens as well. It is near the end when the transformation takes place and they begin to solve their problems on their own and do not need the gods to settle their disputes. This is especially evident when they have a trial for Orestes with a jury to decide his fate, not a god. The Greeks are moving away from the gods and myth as well. They are becoming more independent and are beginning to rely more on science and reason, rather than myth. All of this is portrayed in the play, specifically in the latter part.

The fourth and last transformation that takes place in the Oresteia, is the transformation from old to new. The old being the furies and the new, being the new Olympian gods. “The furies were actually transformed into beneficent powers” (Greek Drama, Pg. 53) This transformation is shown extremely well in the third book of the trilogy when the furies enter the play. They speak directly to Orestes and say,

“Yea from you would I fain get the feeding on a blood drought by others loathed. And after draining you dry I will take you alive to the regions below–To pay just retribution for the pangs of a slaughtered mother.”

This passage shows the way that the furies were more about he old ways of doing things and were not interested in changing their ways. But in the end of the third book, it is apparent that they have gone through a transformation and become the new Olympian gods. These gods give Orestes a chance and do not condemn him for murdering his mother. There has been a change from old to new. When the play is over, although it is the end, it is the beginning of a new way of life for both the characters in the Oresteia and the Greeks.

These four different transformations all take place as the trilogy of Oresteia move along. The change is very subtle, but in the end, everything is different than it was when the play first began. For, in the beginning, it was a vengeful world full of chaos and everyone was dependent on the old gods. In the end, there is a fair justice system that was used in the trial of Orestes, in which their is a trial and a jury, and you have a feeling of harmony and peace. The new Olympian gods help to bring the characters problems to a close, before the play comes to an end. The Oresteia was a play that really captivates well the changes that were going on in the times of Ancient Greece.