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Justice In Aeschylus's Oresteia

Decent Essays

“Eumenides”, the third and final piece in Aeschylus’s Oresteia trilogy, resumes the tale where “Choephoroe” left it as Orestes is pursued by the vengeful Erinyes. The primary plot point in “Eumenides” is the judgement Orestes undergoes for his act of matricide, and the conflicting ideas of justice provided by the various parties that are associated with it. Topic In “Eumenides”, the best idea of justice Argument is Athena’s Reason because her lack of a personal stake in the matter allows her to give a truly fair solution to the situation. (topic) The Erinyes do not have the best idea of justice because, as they have a personal stake in the matter, they twist their ideals to fit the situation and lean it in their favor. (point) Their manipulated …show more content…

(point) After the Erinyes state that Orestes is deserving of punishment for matricide because he killed a blood relative, Apollo twists logic to insist that a mother is not actually closely related to her child, demonstrating his prioritization of winning statements over honest ones. (evidence) "The mother is not the parent of the child, / Only the nurse of what she has conceived. / The parent is the father, who commits / His seed to her, a stranger, to be held / ...in safe keeping. In proof of this, / Father there might be and no mother: see / ...here, child of Olympian Zeus," (Aeschylus 361). (explanation 1) When Apollo utters these lines, he portrays that the father is the true parent of the child, who devotes his seed to a stranger so that the child may come to fruition while the mother is more akin to a nurse, and Athena is living and present proof of this phenomenon because she was born only to her father, Zeus. (ex 2) His manipulative nature comes to light as he challenges people’s basic beliefs for the purpose of winning his case, as none would have previously considered that a person’s father is their only true parent until then. (ex 3) His manipulation of these basic ideas in the name of personal benefit demonstrate that he believes in no set idea of justice, but rather adapts it to fit …show more content…

(point) When Orestes and the Erinyes cannot resolve their disagreements on their own, they turn to Athena, who chooses to establish a court of justice that will resolve the trial of bloodshed as well as provide protection in the future for her village, demonstrating the first and only sound idea of justice in the entire piece. (evidence)“People of Athens, hear my ordinance / At this first trial for bloodshed. Evermore / This great tribunal shall abide in power….I establish / This great tribunal to protect my people,” (Aeschylus 362). (explanation 1) In this statement, Athena officially declares the creation of a court of justice that will solve the current issue of bloodshed as well as abide in power from then on to protect her people. (ex 2)The creation of this court, which is not only created by a party impartial to the issue but also composed of neutral judges, is a solution equally fair to all parties, unlike those proposed by the Erinyes or Apollo. (ex 3) Thus, Athena is the only character who demonstrates a reasonable idea of justice, and it is consequentially the best idea of justice found in the piece. (transition) Thanks to this idea of justice, the issue was finally resolved and the piece was able to avoid a tragic

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