In terms of the law in Argos, I would say it is not clear and varies according to the person and the circumstances. The idea of justice here is flawed because it accepts vengeance as a way to solve problems when vengeance is the reoccurring problem. The law in Athens seems to be upheld more,although the Gods ultimately decide this. However I thought that the Orestes acquittal made no sense because a human unlike a God, must share their mothers blood. So in a way justice is in the eye of the beholder and in this case Apollo gets Athena to favor his view of the situation.
I find it ironic that the only man Clytemnestra acknowledges as her equal is the one who kills her. This situation is also somewhat of a paradox because Clytemnestra wants Orestes to let her grow old with him but at the same time she respects a man of action. I think if Orestes didn’t kill her he would lose his mother’s respect and probably be killed by her eventually.
Also I find it interesting that the chorus is a reflection of the one in power in terms of gender in the first two plays. When Agamemnon was still king the chorus was made up of all men, and when Clytemnestra is in a sense the ruler after his death, the chorus is made up of women. This may be done to allow the audience to recognize that they are being judged in accordance with their expected role as a man or woman.
Between the two plays I would say that Orestes and Cassandra share a similar view as they both acknowledge the consequences but still accept their fate. This may be a representation of an existential philosophy that shows that they both take responsibility for their actions. Also both of these characters are manipulated by Apollo to follow out his work.The only difference between them is that Cassandra refused to have Apollo's child. On the other hand, Orestes listened to Apollo and followed through with killing his mother, which later saved him from punishment.
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“…So in a way justice is in the eye of the beholder and in this case Apollo gets Athena to favor his view of the situation.”
ReplyDeleteFrom my understanding, a legal realist would find it completely acceptable for Athena to have bias during the trial. In fact, a legal realist would see it as unavoidable. But, even though Apollo did reference to Athena’s origin while defending Orestes, attempting to appeal her emotionally, one must stop and ponder whether or not pathos was the only factor. There seems to be more to her decision than subjectivity, at least more than an independent subjectivity. What I mean by that is that she claims to have her father acting through her. Zeus seems to be the sovereign by which she is abiding by. Whether or not this sovereign is truly just or has just ideals is unknown; but what is know is that Athena believes that Zeus not only creates law, but is just in doing so, and is just in his punishments. The only independent decision that Athena made in regards to the trial seemed to be her offering to the Furies as compensation for her decision which was ultimately Zeus’ belief, Zeus' law. This idea of higher authority, of a sovereign repeats itself within this play several times and one must keep in mind that an illegal act is one which antagonizes the laws which a sovereign has set forth. Whether these laws are based on a system of justice doesn’t matter to those who fall under this sovereign’s command. One must also note that the sovereigns in this play are not always human. In fact many of the sovereigns are abstract ideas---the curse of Atrius, fate, destiny, divine right and power, innate human right and responsibility. These themes and ideas are consistent within the play, and because many of the characters ignore what is lawful holistically they fall prey to what they believe is injustice.
Reading the plays in the Oresteia, I have come to the conclusion that there is a concept of revenge that circulates around Greek society. An act of revenge for each act of this play has been viewed as a problem and the only way to solve this circumstance is through the action of death. Justice is through action during these times and that is an evident throughout the course of the Oresteia. The chorus plays an intricate part within all of these readings simply because they provide an insight of the majority. Their perception is populous view and to provide that for the rider is crucial within these complex situations.
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