April 7, 2010 Lecture Notes

Allison Nguyen HUM 1114 (Olson)

Aeschylus background - Comes from wealthy, aristocratic family. - Fought in the battles of Marathon, Salamis, Artemisium, and Ploetea. - Has the time and education to write plays as directed by Dionysus. - Perceives Zeus as a principle of justice seen more as an abstract force. - Trying to determine human beings place in the universe as bounded by the forces of justice. Aeschylus plays (The Oresteia) - Produced in 458 BCE, well towards the end of his life. - Witnessed the transition from tyranny to democracy and the change in political arrangement. - Characterized by endless cycle of vengeance. Is this how we define justice? Where does it end? Agamemnon - Aggie brings back Cassandra, the daughter of Priam and priestess of Apollo should be chaste, but made a concubine; a sort of raping of Apollo. DAMN. - Clytaemnestra is enacting the will of the Furies, not the wife of Aggie. - Orestes planning to kill Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus to avenge Aggie. Zeus conception of justice - Aeschylus interested in learning of such. - The Furies embody an older, much more ancient form of justice. - Represents a form of vengeful, bloody justice, especially with respect to violence against kin. - Three female deities characterized by snakes for hair and eyes dripping with blood. - Justice is universal divine sanction for democratic justice in Zeus. - You are reduced through other peoples envy. - A well-managed oikos is blessed with good children and justice. - Women can have a great deal of knowledge and understanding in a patriarchal society, but may not be taken as seriously or believed. - The Fates: one spins out, one measures, one cuts the yarn out of life; controls under Zeus authority. - Justice spins the wheel and ultimately governs fate. - The Oresteia portrays a grim perception of fate and justice. - The gods demand piety? The Libation Bearers - Begins with Orestes standing at Aggies grave, talking to his buddy and placing two locks of hair on daddys grave (one for death and the other for the river god). - Orestes knows that Clytaemnestra kills Aggie; blames her and her beau, Aegisthus. - Aggie has been dead for years; chorus of older women and Electra have mourned since. - The stain of blood wont go away; it just stays. - Electra seems young in her mind; inexperienced and unsure what to say or do not brought up well with Clytaemnestra as her mother; no loved ones. - Your mother is the enemy, Electra. Dont you see it?

- Electra instructed on how to make a prayer and runs along, discovering signs (e.g. similar hair and the footprints does not realize that Orestes is finally home). - Clytaemnestra cut his hands off and strung them around his neck mutilated body of this great king. - Clytaemnestra dreams of nursing a snake that bites her; doesnt realize it is a foreshadowing of one of her children eventually killing her. - Violating the bonds of the oikos is nearly forbidden and looked down upon. The Eumenides (The Kindly Ones) / Erinyes (The Angry Ones) - The Navelstone at earth found at Delphi; place where Furies are first introduced as sleeping since Apollo had placed a spell on them Orestes sees and runs away to Athens to seek refuge with Athena according to Apollos orders. - Can the gods act unjustly? Is it wrong for Apollo to take Orestes away from the Furies? - The Furies believe that Apollo is guilty and overstepping his bounds. - Apollo challenges why only killing of blood is so atrocious; breaking the bonds of Zeus and Hera arguing that marriage tie is the highest, not parent-child. - Furies thoroughly derive pleasure from their purpose/function of exacting vengeance. - An armed Athena is fascinating by the Furies, not horrified. - Mutual respect evident between Athena and the Furies. - Orestes has entered a plea of not guilty. - Athena aims to resolve this dispute by setting up a court not ad hoc (temporary). Court made permanent to resolve issues in the future. - Ten judges to preside (selected from the finest men of Athens). - Audience asked to participate in a way to feel a part of this jury. - Orestes asked to sit on the Stone of Outrage while the Furies sit on the Stone of Unmercifulness. - Athena needs to impress upon the judges the importance of their responsibility. - Attempting to fuse differing principles of justice into a new institution of justice. - Sacrifice of time in the courts benefits you both privately and personally. - This new sense of justice encompasses a court, judges who are citizens, citizens, compassion, stability of law, maintaining the oikos without going out of control, fear/guilt/shame in the unjust ones (contributed by the Furies, a kindness). - Law motivates you to not do something out of the fear of shame.