Eumenides Views On The Rule Of Law And Civil Process

The literal meaning of justice is ‘the quality of being morally right and fair’ but there are various theories which can be considered and compared since they all define justice in a different way.

Many of the most important aspects of and decisions about social organization hinge on an individual or society’s conception of justice. Because this conception of justice has tremendous influence over the way societies are structured, political theorists interested in understanding and improving society place great importance on understanding and articulating the nature of justice. While most of the political theorists we have read in class have proposed definitions of justice, none of them sufficiently incorporate the many dimensions of justice while remaining specific enough to allow for relatively consistent distinctions between the just and unjust. To balance these competing demands, I propose that justice is the impartial ordering of

The establishment of the courts provides a place for the citizens to decide about what is moral and to debate the details of specific cases. The emergence of the jury trial also suggests that justice is not “just” unless it involves deliberation. In the earlier plays Orestes and Clytemnestra took justice into their own hands by acting impulsively and Aeschylus implies in his tragedy that When a person seeks justice they must be careful not to pursue it in a vindictive way because revenge will inevitably transgress into suffering for the person seeking reprisal. the law needs to be concerned with definitions justice itself. In other words, justice without judgment is too rash and impulsive. A jury is necessary so that questions can be deliberated. Was Orestes matricide justified? Circumstances, motives and consequences must be taken into account at trial.These are complicated moral

After Orestes avenges his father’s murder, he himself is now involved in the cyclic bloodshed; however, instead of him being killed by kin, he is hunted by the punishers of matricides, the Furies. The last play of Aeschylus I, The Eumenides, marks the change from antiquated Argos to abreast Athens. It also highlights the transition of men from upholding the violent, Lex Talionis tradition to a trial based system of justice. Though by thought this was an achievement, from barbaric to civilized thinking, but in truth justice was hardly practiced.

In Book II of Plato’s Republic, Glaucon and Adeimantus present a challenge to Socrates’ view of justice. Previously, in Book I of the Republic, Socrates presents several counterarguments to Thrasymachus’ belief that it is to your own advantage to practice injustice rather than to follow laws, if you can get away with it (Babcock). Glaucon and Adeimantus sought to present a stronger defense to Thrasymachus’ view. The main viewpoint they try to establish is that it is to our advantage to practice injustice rather than justice and that the good life is the life of injustice (Babcock). Several arguments are used to reinforce the central view through use of the Ring of Gyges story, an account of the origin of justice, a classification of

Maintaining the rule of law is central to most societies ability to remain orderly. Initially, derived from the family, a transition occurred driving the origins of the rule of law to occur within society as a whole. Aeschylus’s The Oresteia provides an excellent illustration of this change from the instinctual law within the family to the positive law of society. Aeschylus shows this transition through the example of the aristocratic family of Argo’s, which culminates in a murder trial in the city of Athens. The Oresteia provides an excellent starting point for understanding the evolution of the rule of law from natural law to societal law through the breakdown of the family roles, the obligations of fate and duty, and the calming of the furies.

Their response to Clytemnestra is more emotional than rational, and they are roused to action for the first time because they know that the death of their king will only bring more instability to Argos. Clytemnestra asserts that her actions were indeed warranted: “You say

The Oresteia depicts the transformation of a system of justice which is unorganized and based on vengeance into an organized system of justice based on law. This transformation is effected by several changes involving both gods and humans. Among these changes are: the shift from a view of the individual as the victim of a crime to a view of the community as the victim of the crime; the change in the nature of the Furies, who start as vengeful spirits and have their nature so completely changed that they become the Eumenides, the kindly spirits; and the formation of a system of justice based on a court system, which has a balance between punishment and mercy, allows citizens to represent their community in the the court, and promotes equality between the defendant and their accusers; and all of the advantages which these changes provide within the community.

Justice is essential, for with a lack of justice, chaos would be brought about in society. In The Eumenides, the Furies value justice without truly being just. Throughout the play, the Furies, protectors of the law, pursue Orestes because of the crime he has committed. They yearn to "trace him by his

This leads to the trial of Orestes. As a result of the trial, Orestes leaves to go home to Argos and the Furies have their name switched to The Eumenides, or Kindly Ones, and ruling that they will now be honoured by the citizens of Athens. By the end of the trilogy, Orestes is seen to be the key, not only to ending the curse of the House of Atreus, but also in laying the foundation for a new step in the progress of

In the Eumenides, Aeschylus manifests a new system of justice for the more civilised times. Orestes, plagued by the Furies, turns to Apollo (Eum: 88-90)

Over the decades, the concept of justice has been continually evolving. This is occurring based upon different moral or legal interpretations. Evidence of this can be seen with observations from Burke (2011) who said, "Few things are of more importance to a society than its concept of justice. This is because it is justice that provides criterion for the legitimate use of force. In the name of justice people are detained, arrested, handcuffed, put on trial and punished. This concept is used to provide every society with some kind of social order. Over the last 200 years, a revolution has taken place with these principles. Our idea of it is what we employ, when dealing with ordinary individuals in daily life including: making agreements, paying bills, resolving disputes and putting criminals in jail. This is a concept that is as old as recorded history and it is familiar to people everywhere. What makes it so unique is that these ideas are constantly changing which focuses on society as a whole and how people are interacting with each other. " (Burke)

Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation.

citizens are under a duty to obey the same laws, and there can be no

“…No matter how plain a women may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her...” Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 2014 in New York City, New York. She was the only the only daughter of Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt; she was the middle child in her trio of siblings. Her brothers were Elliot Roosevelt Jr. and Gracie Hall Roosevelt who were the oldest and youngest siblings respectively. The Roosevelt siblings encountered trauma at a young age. Their mother passed away when Eleanor was only eight years old and their father passed away shortly after, when Eleanor just turned