Analysis Of The Orestian Trilogy - 742 Words

The Orestian Trilogy The Orestian Trilogy is a Greek tragedy written by Aeschylus that conveyed the theme of justice versus revenge. In the Greek tragedy, three murders took place between three different people: Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Orestes. These three characters happen to be family and a turn of events causes a slippery slope; that results in the three family members committing separate murders. When looking at the purpose of the three plays as to whether each murder was for a just or unjust reason, Agamemnon and Orestes are not guilty of committing unjust murders while Clytemnestra is. In the first play Agamemnon Argos is going to war with Troy because Paris, the leader of Troy, was offered hospitality by Menelaus and Paris†¦show more content†¦She then plans the murder of Agamemnon and tries to find ways to justify her doing this. This is all an act of revenge. When Agamemnon returns to Argos with the princess of Troy, Clytemnestra acts like everything is okay and co nfesses her love for him. Clytemnestra comes up with a plan to make Agamemnon commit blasphemy against the Gods by tricking him into walking on crimson silk, the carpet only the Gods walk on. Agamemnon questions Clytemnestra when she tells him to walk on the crimson silk. She challenges him and says, Imagine Priam conqueror: what would he have done, this pushes him to consider walking on the carpet which he eventually does (Aeschylus 75). Agamemnon then goes to take a bath; after a while, the Chorus hears him scream murder and open the doors to see him at the feet of Clytemnestra as she claims, This murders mine and confesses she is her daughter avenger (Aeschylus 94). She also informs the Chorus that Agamemnon committed blasphemy against the Gods to cover up her revenge for her daughter to make it seem like a just murder. In the second play The Libation-Bearers Orestes returns after years of exile to mourn the death of his father. Orestes does not let Clytemnestra know that he is i n Argos because she has exiled him so that she and Aegisthus can rule Argos. Orestes soon speaks to Apollo, the god of