Theme Of Violence In The Oresteia And The Odyssey

Throughout history, the presence of violence justified by the credence in godly figures is exemplified, especially in Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, and Homers’, The Odyssey. Although both archaic works concern the ideologies and practices of faith in the Greek mythological gods, the reasoning for violent actions and their means of justification differ in their aspiration for and fulfillment of vengeance, their justification through the divine, and their means of punishment. In The Oresteia, Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, was exiled from the House of Atreus by his mother, Clytemnestra, the Queen of Argos. Upon the return of Agamemnon from the Trojan War, Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus, murdered Agamemnon due to his sacrifice of Iphigenia, …show more content…
Orestes, although ordered to do so, murdered his own mother, which calls upon the Furies, the daughters of Night, who seek vengeance for those wrongfully killed by their kin. Haunted by the Furies, which were sent as a curse from his mother, Orestes seeks the protection from the god who ordered him to do such a heinous crime, Apollo, who orders Orestes to go to Athens where Athena will be the ultimate judge of his innocence. Once the Furies and Orestes stated their cases, Athena called upon the ‘finest men of Athens’ to serve as a jury in order to avoid the wrath of the Furies if she ruled in Orestes’ favor. The ballots concluded in a tie; however, Athena’s vote swayed the ballot in Orestes favor. The Furies, furiously contested the outcome of the court case, and disagree with the opinions of the ‘younger gods’. In the case of Odysseus, although he stated his actions were justified through the will of the Zeus and the other gods, his pride led him to be in disfavor with Poseidon. As Odysseus escaped from Polyphemus’ cave and proceeded to sail away, he shouted his real name, rather than his alias, “Nobody”, which caused Polyphemus to call out to Poseidon, his father, to curse Odysseus on his journey home, if he ever makes it that far. With both Orestes and Odysseus, the conflicting opinions of the gods caused much …show more content…
With Orestes, his actions were fated to happen, and if he didn’t do as told, he would suffer a lonely life in exile, without love. When it came to the time he had to fulfill the deed sent by Apollo, Orestes was swayed by his mother’s words and was uncertain whether to go along with the murder. In contrast, Odysseus first enacted violence, then justified his actions through the will of the gods. Orestes debated the use of violence although it was predetermined; however, Odysseus was certain violence was the only method to ensure his well-being. Concerning punishment for their violence, Orestes was cursed by being followed by the Furies, which were later called off by Athena and the jury in the case to determine the innocence of Orestes. For Odysseus, however, due to his arrogance, he caused Polyphemus to call upon a curse that would lengthen and inconvenience his journey home. Orestes was granted to go home without further harm from the Furies, while Odysseus was subject to an impending journey home. For Orestes, justice is violence; however, for Odysseus, violence is just. In comparing the two works, one can see the differences for the causes of violence, the repercussions of such actions, and the societal differences, and similarities, between ancient and