Justice in the Oresteia

Not guilty. In recent days those two words have crashed, full speed, into our ideological view of "justice" in modern day western civilization. Casey Anthony has just been acquitted of all major charges in the murder trial of her daughter and the public outcry has been fierce: "where is justice?" In Aeschylus' The Oresteia, justice is as complex and polarizing as anything we see in present day society. Orestes successfully avenges the murder of his father by killing his father's murderer; a worthy, just, and glorious act for a son in Greek society of the time. His glory, or kleos, is complicated by the fact that his father's betrayer and killer is that of his deceitful, power hungry mother. In murdering his mother, Orestes has committed a serious crime against a blood relative. The application of justice is at times a problematic subject. Aeschylus attempts to show the dichotomy of justice by comparing and contrasting the destructive, cyclical method of revenge justice with that of a new system of logical justice through public trial. Can justice, founded in a structure of control, consistency, and commonsense replace a justice that supports chaotic blood spilling, leading to an endless cycle of unbridled disorder?

Agamemnon, the first book of Aeschylus' The Oresteia, introduces us to the first and most primordial type of justice; revenge justice. Thirsty for war and battle, Agamemnon binds and sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia, as one might a lamb, to appease the god Artemis and attain a favorable wind for his fleet of ships. Clytemnestra, his wife, becomes so enraged at her daughters murder that for 10 years she plans her revenge as Agamemnon fights in the Trojan War. Upon Agamemnon's return home to Argos, Clytemnestra slyly camouflages her true intentions as her vengeful rage builds. She finally enacts her revenge justice by brutally killing Agamemnon with an ax as he defenselessly takes a bath. Rebuked by the elders of Argos, Clytemnestra denies any wrong doing saying she was simply enacting justice for her murdered daughter. An eye-for-an-eye is the backdrop of her execution which in irony, leads to her demise, as the cyclical nature of revenge justice calls out to Orestes, Agamemnon's son.

Throughout the second book, the Libation Bearers, Orestes is hesitant to seek justice for his father's murder by returning home to Argos and killing his mother and co-conspirator lover. It takes the threat of terrible punishments, including leprosy and exile, by the god Apollo before Orestes submits to his role in retribution justice. Similar to Clytemnestra, deception is used by Orestes to sneak into Argos, conspire with his sister Electra, and eventually avenge his father's death by killing his mother Clytemnestra. But unlike his mother's rage filled slaughter of his father, Orestes does not take pleasure in death. He is compelled into vengeful righteousness,