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... s. The sacrifice of animals was an ancient and conventional form of devotion in Greek religion. The sacrifice also brings humans and gods into a relationship that can be understood in human terms: the gods enjoy and require devotion. They like to receive gifts, and a man who is devout will give more gifts; in return, the give aid to the gift-givers.
It is often said of Aeschylus that he was like a Greek Milton: he sought to explain or justify divine actions in human terms. In the trilogy, the great method for this kind of explanation is the creation of teleology, a story that explains events in terms of an ultimate purpose or design. In the Orestes, at least, this theme is present, as the whole bloody history of the House of Atreus ultimately leads to reconciliation of old gods with new and the creation of a new institution of justice. It is fitting then that The Libation Bearers repeatedly mentions the most archaic and conventional form of piety, without complication or irony. Aeschylus is trying to make clear the working of divine will: at the same time, the most conventional form of religious devotion is mentioned with respect. Gods and men have a harmonious and mutual relationship.
Right until Clytaemestra comes face to face with her son, she shows more of her incredible composure. Faced with the revelation that her son has returned to murder her, she icily calls for an axe. Yet when he comes to kill her, she first tries to sway him by appealing to his sense of love for her: "Hold, my son. Oh take pity, child, before this breast / where many a time, a drowsing baby, you would feed / and with soft gums sucked in the milk that made you strong" (ll. 896 - 9).
The quick transition shows both Clytaemestra's determination to survive and how fast the shift can be between love and hate; Clytaemestra need not be totally dishonest in her appeal to her son's love. The appeal is conflicted, but to interpret her words as purely hypocritical is to oversimplify her character. Hate-in-love is central to this play; even the imagery in her appeal resonates with this theme. Clytaemestra speaks of nursing, but her words immediately recall the nightmare of nursing, her prophetic dream of breastfeeding a snake.
We learn for the first time that Orestes' exile was not heartless banishment into the wilderness: Clytaemestra sent the prince to live in the house of one of her friends. Her goal has been preservation of her power and her lover, and she stopped short of killing her children or putting their safety at risk. However, we cannot forget that when faced with the choice of her own life or Orestes', Clytaemestra calmly calls for an axe. When an appeal to love fails, she tries to sway him through fear. She warns him of her curse, affirming what much of the play has already hinted at: Clytaemestra's death will not, as Orestes and the Chorus have hoped, end the cycle of suffering. Choral ode ("I have sorrow even for this pair") to the end of the play. (Lines 931 - 1076): Summary: The Chorus sings of the harshness of justice.
There is sympathy for those who suffer, but satisfaction that justice runs its course. They praise Orestes for his role as the agent of divine justice and hope the House of Atreus will rise again, purged of the curse that has brought suffering on the house for so long. The Chorus also shows faith in the idea that time brings all things to pass. The doors of the house open, revealing Orestes with the bodies of Clytaemestra and Aegisthus. Attendants hold the robe in which Clytaemestra ensnared Agamemnon as he bathed. Orestes declares that he has rid the land of two tyrants; he also says with irony that they are lovers still, together even in death.
He shows off the robe, instrument of his father's murder, as evidence of Clytaemestra's evil and justification for his murder of his own mother. As for Aegisthus, the man has received normal punishment fit for the seducer of another man's wife. Orestes continues to denounce his mother. The Chorus expresses sorrow for the work that Orestes had to do, but he repeats that his mother was guilty. He continues to speak of the robe, a beautiful object made vile by its role in Agamemnon's murder.
Both the Chorus and Orestes are unsure of what will come next, and they feel some trepidation about what will follow the matricide. Orestes justifies his action once again, speaking of his mother's guilt and the orders of Apollo. He is to return now to the shrine of Apollo, and await further instructions there. Suddenly, Orestes is fearful. He sees gorgon-like monsters, women with hair of snakes, robed in black. They are the Eumenides, the Furies, and they have been summoned by Clytaemestra's curse.
Their eyes drip blood. Only Orestes can see them; the Chorus tells him that he must take sanctuary with Apollo. If Apollo touches him, perhaps he will be free of the Furies. Orestes flees, pursued by the Furies. The Chorus bids him good luck, and then recounts the bloody history of the House of Atreus. Orestes is fleeing for his life, punished for the murder of his mother.
When, the slave women wonder, will the Curse end? Analysis: The parallels between Orestes and his mother continue. She, too, appeared in public proudly displaying the body of her victim. She, too, declared that the murder was in the name of justice, and that finally the cycle of violence was over.
She, too, displayed the robe that ensnared her husband. Orestes does all of these things as well. Although he confidently proclaims that he has done what needed to be done, both he and the Chorus rightfully feel trepidation about what might come in the future. Unlike Clytaemestra, there is no long wait for the violent deed to be punished; Orestes has only had time to display the bodies and make a few speeches when the Furies come to exact Clytaemestra's revenge. The Greeks acutely understood that different moral systems or obligations often come into conflict. This is a powerful theme in many Greek plays.
As Orestes himself says, his reasons for killing his mother are strong. She murdered his father. She has disinherited Orestes and his sister, and the god Apollo has commanded Orestes to kill her, threatening punishment if Orestes does not follow through with the act. But duty is not easy or clean in this case. Orestes is still committing a morally repulsive act; he is caught between two courses of action, neither of which is morally perfect.
He will not escape punishment. The Furies are the embodiment of an ancient and simple justice: the murderer must be punished. He has committed matricide, one of the most repulsive acts possible for a human being, and now he must pay. This turn of events continues with the theme of violence's power to perpetuate itself.
The Curse has not yet been appeased. The Furies are also the manifestations and symbols of Orestes guilty conscience. Although Orestes defends his actions again and again, this need to constantly justify his deeds actually indicates deep fears and anxieties about what he has had to do. Aeschylus wants us to know that the Furies are real; in the next play of the trilogy, we see them onstage. But at the end of The Libation Bearers, only Orestes can see the Furies. Aeschylus also wants us to feel that the Furies are most real for Orestes, because they represent his guilty conscience.
We are left in suspense at the end of the play. The Chorus reminds us that the torment of Orestes is part of a long series of calamities, all part of the Curse that began after the murder of Thyestes' children. The cycle of violence is also connected to other events in the past: the Trojan War looms in the background, an incredible event that has irrevocably changed the House of Atreus. Aeschylus has a great sense of history.
The tremendous world of the past has come together to influence the fortunes of the House of Atreus. This part of the trilogy has given us more psychological characterization and plot than parts one or three. It has also, in a sense, been the most focused. The Trojan War dominates Agamemnon, while the creation of a new world order dominates The Eumenides. In The Libation Bearers the spotlight has been most intently on this house and its characters, but the scope will soon broaden. Part three of the trilogy will bring us a broader understanding of how the House of Atreus has played a role in the designs of fate and the civilizing of man and god.
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Research essay sample on House Of Atreus Cycle Of Violence
