( Log Out /  260–61). kill the killers in return, with justice! His defense of Orestes does not stem only from the fact that Orestes is his suppliant, but also from the fact that Apollo himself is indirectly guilty of the murder of Clytemnestra by urging Orestes to do the deed. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus showed no guilt for what they had done. On reaching manhood, Orestes avenged his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. The Chorus of Argive Maidens quietly enters. The Libation Bearers deals with the reunion of Agamemnon's children, Electra and Orestes, and their revenge as they kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus in a new chapter of the curse of the House of Atreus. Clytemnestra is one of the main characters in Aeschylus 's Oresteia, and is central to the plot of all three parts. Although she tries to convince him against it, he murders her with his sword. Clytemnestra (249). Commentary. Electra deceives Clytemnestra by telling her that Orestes is dead. They hold opposite views on whether the crime was justified or not. On his return, Orestes clashed with the Erinyes who challenged Apollo. This is firstly seen when he originally tells of the oracle bidding him to avenge his father’s death. They assert that the killing of a blood relative, his mother of all people, is much worse than Clytemnestra’s murder of his father. Upon his return, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon. But it turned out to be hung. • If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Furthermore, Orestes lies to Clytemnestra when she appears at the door. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Thus it is unclear whether Orestes shifts the blame from himself and somewhat reluctantly takes upon the task of killing his mother due to feelings towards her or feelings towards his relationship with the Athenian legal system, yet it can be argued that Orestes is the first in the line of bloodshed who fears the consequences of his actions and seeks advice from others. She murders Agamemnon in the first play, and is murdered herself in the second. Upon arriving, Orestes reunites with his sister Electraat Agamemnon's grave, while she was there bringing libations to Agamemnon in an attempt to stop Clytemnestra's bad dreams. For more detail, see the separate page on The Libation Bearers. Abstract: The Ghost of Clytemnestra is the first afterlife figure in extant Greek literature to call for vengeance instead of ritual burial. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. Clytemnestra was killed by her son, Orestes. How does Orestes answer her arguments? Thus, Clytemnestra is deceived again by someone in her own family. In early myths, Clytemnestra does not appear to have been killed by Orestes. Cloudflare Ray ID: 64d385cfa9be578b Apollo feels it necessary to tell Orestes that should he fail to win vengeance for his father he will pay with his own life. However he chooses to kill Aegisthus first, perhaps because he is the one who, Orestes believes, deserves to be punished for the death of his father. Apollo in his speech at the trial blames Clytemnestra of the murder of a man, that in his opinion is much worse than the murder of a woman, even a mother. Yet the living Clytem-nestra has already proven manipulative, politically usurping, and … He puts the blame on all but himself, saying “it is you who kill yourself, not I who kill you” (The Libation Bearers, line 923), and continues to assert that the act of murder, though performed by him, was decreed by Apollo. Clytemnestra was born in Sparta, for she was one of the four famous children of Leda, Queen of Sparta. Orestes responds... (full context) Orestes, Electra, and the Chorus gather to pray at the grave. (900) 10. She goads the Erinyes to kill Orestes in order to rectify the wrongs she has suffered. Pylades only has one speaking part in this play. Orestes is Conflicted Orestes kills Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Finally Orestes got a trial for his murder. So Orestes and his friend Pylades went to Mycenae disguised as messengers, and they met secretly with Electra to plan the murders. Orestes's defence pretty much consists of calling Apollo for his defence Apollo says, "This (the murder of Clytemnestra) is justice." Clytemnestra was then killed by her son, Orestes, with the help of his sister Electra, in revenge for his father’s murder. The most prominent moment of Orestes’ doubt comes when he declares “I cannot kill my mother” (The Libation Bearers, line 900). The Furies hold that such a crime can not be justified because it hits at the moral base of society. What arguments does Clytemnestra use to try to persuade Orestes not to kill her? Leda’s husband was Tyndareus, but on the same day that Leda slept with her husband, Zeus also laid with her, in the form of a swan.As a result two immortal children were born to Zeus and Leda, Helen and Pollox, whilst two immortal children, Castor and Clytemnestra. In the context of the trilogy, however, Clytemnestra has committed a crime that must be avenged by her son, Orestes, in The Libation- Bearer. Clytemnestra is said to treat Electra really badly, almost like a beggar or someone living in poverty because she is still grieving at the death of her father. • Aegisthus and Clytemnestra dismiss these words as empty threats, and together they take up the reins of the state. Who is Pylades, and why is his speech important? The ambiguity is somewhat clarified by the fact that Orestes was told by Apollo to kill his mother Clytemnestra as vengeance for her act. On reaching manhood, Orestes avenged his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. Orestes. The Chorus of Furies interrogate Orestes about his crime. Clytemnestra had dreamt of a snake that was her own child and drew blood from her breast (527-33)- When Orestes hears of this, he eagerly accepts the omen and for the first time in plain terms announces that he will kill his mother. The issue with this is that Agamemnon was not in Clytemnestra’s blood line, they were married.Marriage bonds are not nearly as strong as blood bonds. According to Aeschylus, it was Apollo who instructed him to kill Aegisthus and Clytemnestra and then asked him to return to him to be purified. Her death then leads to the trial of Orestes by a jury composed of Athena and 12 Athenians in the final play. The dialogue between Apollo and the furies also … But he was too young to take revenge and his … Your IP: 158.69.83.101 In Greek mythology, Orestes was the prince who avenged the murder of his father, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, by killing his own mother, Clytemnestra.Orestes' sisters Iphigenia and Electra play important roles in his story. The Chorus leader warns Orestes and Electra to be wary of Aegisthus’ and Clytemnestra’s spies. If he had been desperate to see her die he had the oppotunity to kill her there and then. Orestes is reminded of the threat of the oracle and proceeds to kill his mother in revenge for his father, however he still appears to be apprehensive. Here, Orestes turns to Pylades for advice, to which Pylades responds reminding him that he is bound by the oracle of Apollo to go through with the matricide. Similarly, who is Orestes father? Orestes was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology, who was hunted by the Erinyes after he This comes up later on in the story when Orestes kills Clytemnestra. On the other hand Apollo holds that Orestes' act was a just penalty against Clytemnestra. Orestes Returns to Delphi Orestes is commanded to return to Delphi with Many versions of Agamemnon's story circulated in Aeschylus' time. As far as Orestes is concerned, Athenian justice claims that Aegisthus “had what is legally come to him” (The Libation Bearers, line 989) and he can thus do away with all thoughts of his death. The dialogue between Apollo and the furies also … Clytemnestra tells him, “Hold, my son. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Furthermore, Orestes lies to Clytemnestra when she appears at the door. This is because it was a son's duty to kill his father's killers, and Clytemnestra had helped to kill her husband, Agamemnon. I personally would argue that, though he and Electra have strong and hateful feelings towards their mother, I don’t believe that he had any intention of killing her before instructed to by the oracle of Apollo otherwise he would not have experienced the doubts that he does. It is the murder of his mother that causes problems for him in the later half of the trilogy. This is more accepted because it is in the blood line. If he had been desperate to see her die he had the oppotunity to kill her there and then. Why Does Orestes Kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus? In Sophocles’ version of Clytemnestra’s dream, a sprouting scepter represents the revival of the house (Electra 417–23). In Agamemnon, Clytemnestra becomes a heroine, and Aeschylus emphasizes the noble aspects of her act: vengeance for the death of her daughter. So in the midst of prayers for good I place this curse for them. The son of Clytemnestra, Orestes, is furious at his mother and Aegisthus for killing his father. Change ), The Oresteia and the Ancient Greek Blood Feud. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. According to Homer, Orestes was away when his father returned from Troy to meet his death at the hands of Aegisthus, his wife's lover. The oracle replied that Orestes must kill his mother and her lover. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Finally, Orestes drives Clytemnestra offstage and kills her. Orestes Honors His Father Orestes returns home to kill his mother. Then with the help of Electra and Pylades, Orestes killed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, despite her pleas that a son should not kill his own mother. 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.” This makes Orestes hesitate and reflect on whether or not he should kill his mother. His defense of Orestes does not stem only from the fact that Orestes is his suppliant, but also from the fact that Apollo himself is indirectly guilty of the murder of Clytemnestra by urging Orestes to do the deed. When he comes back onstage, however, he shows that all the willpower in the world can't make it an easy thing to kill one's own mother. The defeated Chorus accepts their authority, but declares that when Orestes returns, he will exact vengeance for his father's murder. d68paKovTrwet (549)-he accepts the rhle; he will be a snake, as Clytemnestra was a snake;