Great Ideas Reading - Assignment Example

Great Ideas Reading affiliation Reading analysis The reading is about the development of democracy and the rule of law that was meant to control and limit bloodshed as a result of revenge. The reading first takes the reader back in time in the history of democracy in Greek, describing the various rules and wars that were fought in history. All this information leads to the point in time that there was a looming disaster as described through a play. After a king sacrificed his daughter so as to be granted passage in a foreign land during the war, the wife revenge for the killing by killing the husband.

On the assumption that the son would kill the mother to revenge for the fathers killing, the son is exiled. However, the son successfully kills his mother and is put on trial.Goddess Athena is making a ruling. On the plaintiff, side is the ancient Furies who are seeking asylum for the murderer son. Athena, after a long time of deliberations and discussion in which the Furies are demanding asylum or revenge, rules in favor of the son. The judges votes tie and Athena’s ruling is withheld. To appease the Furies, the goddess grant them the power to give of deny consent to any person seeking success.

Although the decision maintains peace and breaks the chain of revenge bloodshed, Athena’s decision is in part misguided. This is because she describes the murder of the mother by the son as a lesser crime than the mother avenging her daughter. This is not true. However, what is true from the verdict and the discussion is that there must be a willingness to bring to an end bloodshed which requires compromise by one of the warring parties. Therefore, there must be a way that people should seek to end violence and bloodshed related to revenge (Rodney, 1995).

ReferenceRodney S. Young Gallery (1995). The ancient Greek world: Philadelphia, Pa: Univ. of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.