(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Justice in the Works of Aeschylus


            In Aeschylus' two plays Agamemnon, and The Libation Bearers, he demonstrates that a crime committed cannot go without being noticed and without everyone getting the justice they deserve. As read in Agamemnon, Clytemnestra believed she had to get justice for her and her city by murdering Agamemnon because he abandoned them for ten years, sacrificed their daughter Iphigeneia, and was unfaithful to her. This way of justice being served is also seen when Orestes slays his mother Clytemnestra and her lover in The Libation Bearers, due her killing his father Agamemnon. Both of Aeschylus' plays show the idea of justice being served throughout them all by way of murder, and it is usually driven by revenge and vengeance.
             "To avenge [Iphigeneia's] death, Agamemnon is killed by his wife, Clytemnestra, " (Buller). Revenge is not always the best form of justice, but to Clytemnestra it was perfect. We see how Aeschylus highlights the " revenge in classical Athenian attitudes to punishment and justice " (William) when Clytemnestra is more than happy to lead Agamemnon to his death. Getting news of her husband, Agamemnon, returning made her eager for his homecoming because that meant he would finally get what he deserved. Bitterness had been stirring in Clytemnestra for ten years, and "[i]t [was] treachery [that controlled] the house, waiting to avenge a slaughtered child, " (Aeschylus 184). She devised a plan on how she would avenge her daughter's death and get him back for staying away for so long, leaving her to rule their city. While Agamemnon was bathing, Clytemnestra trapped him in his bath robes and killed him with an axe. When she was caught of her crime, the chorus demanded she be exiled and shunned of all men because of her crime. She refutes, stating that she wanted vengeance for her daughter and therefore Agamemnon's death is justified by avenging his crime. As the Chorus laments the murder and blames Agamemnon's death on Helen of Troy, they leave Clytemnestra thinking that her crime will not bring destruction to her.


Essays Related to Justice in the Works of Aeschylus


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question