(topic) Apollo's argument, and subsequently represented idea of justice, would be undermined immediately after he proposed it as he abandons his attempts to explain it. (point) By leaving his explanations obscure and turning attention elsewhere, Apollo reveals that even he may not know what he is saying and was using technicalities in place of sound judgement in order to win the trial in favor of Orestes. (evidence) After briefly attempting to explain the reasoning that led to his argument in favor of Orestes, Apollo immediately defers to Athena by stating, "And therefore, Pallas, since in all things I / Shall strive to make thy land and thy people great, / I sent this man to be thy suppliant, / A faithful friend to thee eternally, / That
…show more content…
(point) When the judges vote equally and Orestes’s fate is at a stalemate, Athena is forced to cast the winning vote, but she makes her decision without demonstrating blatant bias towards one party. (evidence) Before the ballots are counted, Athena states what will be done if the judges arrive at a stalemate, “The final judgement is a task for me; / So for Orestes shall this vote be cast…I shall not hold of higher worth / A woman who was killed because she killed / Her wedded lord and master of her home. / Upon an equal vote Orestes wins. / Let the appointed judges now proceed / To count the ballots…” (Aeschylus 363-364). (explanation 1) Through these lines, Athena declares that the final judgement would fall to her in the case of an equal vote, states she would vote in favor of Orestes because she will not favor his a woman who began the conflict by killing her husband, and then orders that the ballots be counted. (ex2) Although Athena does end up taking Orestes’s side, she does provide a valid reason for her decision, and she makes the decision without even knowing if her vote will count (it would apply only in the case of an equal vote by the other judges), demonstrating her best efforts to maintain impartiality and fair justice. (ex3) Thus, in refusing to take anybody’s side until it is absolutely necessary (first in creating the tribunal and then in reserving her vote unless the vote ended in a stalemate) and providing valid reasoning behind her eventual choice, Athena provides an idea of justice better than that of the Erinyes and Apollo. (transition) As a result of these efforts, Athena secured a satisfactory resolution for everybody in the end and helped avoid a tragic ending to the
(point) When the judges vote equally and Orestes’s fate is at a stalemate, Athena is forced to cast the winning vote, but she makes her decision without demonstrating blatant bias towards one party. (evidence) Before the ballots are counted, Athena states what will be done if the judges arrive at a stalemate, “The final judgement is a task for me; / So for Orestes shall this vote be cast…I shall not hold of higher worth / A woman who was killed because she killed / Her wedded lord and master of her home. / Upon an equal vote Orestes wins. / Let the appointed judges now proceed / To count the ballots…” (Aeschylus 363-364). (explanation 1) Through these lines, Athena declares that the final judgement would fall to her in the case of an equal vote, states she would vote in favor of Orestes because she will not favor his a woman who began the conflict by killing her husband, and then orders that the ballots be counted. (ex2) Although Athena does end up taking Orestes’s side, she does provide a valid reason for her decision, and she makes the decision without even knowing if her vote will count (it would apply only in the case of an equal vote by the other judges), demonstrating her best efforts to maintain impartiality and fair justice. (ex3) Thus, in refusing to take anybody’s side until it is absolutely necessary (first in creating the tribunal and then in reserving her vote unless the vote ended in a stalemate) and providing valid reasoning behind her eventual choice, Athena provides an idea of justice better than that of the Erinyes and Apollo. (transition) As a result of these efforts, Athena secured a satisfactory resolution for everybody in the end and helped avoid a tragic ending to the