What Role Does Vengeance Play in Greek Myth - Research Paper Example

 What role does vengeance play in Greek myth? 1.0. Introduction Vengeance is a central subject in the Greek literature, an aspect that illustrates the foundation of the Greek myths and the society in general. In the real sense, revenge has been critical in appealing fantasy among the readers of Greek works, as well as bringing out the atrocious nature of humans. This would mean that vengeance clearly draws a line between the human and inhuman- civilization and barbarisms- boundaries of human beings1 .This essay shall aim at assessing the role of vengeance in the Greek myths and the negative consequences from these myths. The villains who chose vengeance, in Agamemnon, Electra, and the Oresteia will be assessed, and whether the common misconception that revenges is part of laws of nature are applicable. 2.0. Greek myth-Electra In the compilation of Littleton, the Greek mythology is one that includes the myth of Electra2. Electra was the daughter of Agamemnon, the then king of Mycenae3. Littleton continues to bring out the story that when Electra’s mother killed her father, Electra had no option but to plan for her mother’s death4. This she did with the help of her brother5. From the work of Littleton, Electra is drawn as frustrated and helpless6 .Electra’s fairy tale begins with the Trojan War, when her father Agamemnon was sent off to fight in Troy. While Electra’s father was away in war, her mother, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus- her father’s cousin- became lovers7. On the other hand, Electra waited for her father’s return in anticipation. This was, however, not to take a short period of time, as Agamemnon returns after 10 years. He nonetheless did not return alone, but with a mistress, Cassandra who was King Priam’s daughter, the then king of Troy8. In a few hours of Agamemnon return, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus killed both Agamemnon and his mistress. 2.1. Revenge in Electra vengeance Four years later with Electra mourning the death of her father, Littleton indicates that she arranged for revenge, as she felt betrayed by this death9. This was arranged by Orestes, his cousin and friend- Mycenae, who went to the royal palace. The three disguised themselves as travelers, so as to gain entry and assassinate Clytemnestra and Aegisthus10. This would clearly explain the closeness of Electra to her father, and how passionate she was to hurt her mother regardless of the situation11. At the end of the story, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus are killed. Vengeance takes the form of payback, and that it was obligated to avenge the death of her father. Graf says that this revenge was a form of justice or rather punishment to the so called mighty in the society, which is rightful12. Matricides, in this case, are minimized especially murderers especially in the case when Athena or gods cannot resolve such a conflict13. Electra takes the place of a jury that symbolizes justice and fairness in the society. Questionably, one would wonder how far the Greeks would go to ensure that justice prevails in the society. The fact that blood has been paid off by blood is a clear indication of the pain and how hurt the duo was with the death of their father. Self destruction, in this case, is one that has qualified to be termed as one of the justice mechanisms in the society. The primal ruling of vengeance in the Greek society cannot be overlooked, an aspect that brings a complete new outlook and how atrocious women can be in the quest of justice. The other question to ask is whether vengeance that leads to the massacre of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus is a form of democracy or a complete destruction of social morality in the Greek society. All in all, it is warranted to conclude that vengeance is a good way that brought out the view that the Greek society is not at the mercy of wrong doers and that all persons despite of their gender can see to the fact that justice is served at all times, and is extended to all people in all corners of the society. 3.0. Agamemnon in Greek myths Agamemnon, as indicated in the compilation of Woodard, is a representation of the kind of tragedies in Greek myths14. In relation to the Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae, in Greece. With his role as the leader and Kingdom taking the Greeks to Trojan War, he is remembered as one of the central figures in Iliad, Homer’s epic15. He is given the character of being ca not only courageous, but also very arrogant and too proud. The then king is seen to have committed numerous mistakes in making decisions that according to Woodard are one of the major causes of his untimely death16. As Littleton indicates, the death of Agamemnon is a warning of the dangers of hubris17. Littleton emphasizes that Agamemnon was the son of Atreus, the king of Mycenae, who died whilst still young18. Agamemnon then fled to Sparta as a result of the war, and sought refuge from King Tyndareos where the king married her daughter to Agamemnon. However, studies indicates that Agamemnon killed Tantalus-the husband of one of the daughters, -Clytemnestra and married her19. He fled back to his home town, killed his uncle and overthrew the throne of his long gone father, and was to later start a family with Clytemnestra of a boy and 3 girls- Orestes, Chrysothemis, Electra, and Iphigenia respectively20. In the subsequent years, Agamemnon fled to Troy for war as well as insulted the goddess Artemis, that he was the best hunter by killing a sacred tag. This saw Artemis halt the winds so as the Greek sails wouldn’t sail. 3.1. Analysis of Agamemnon character and vengeance From the above, it is evident that Agamemnon took the law in his hands and usurped power to his advantage. One would argue that Agamemnon felt superior enough to take up the law in his hands as well as shape the future, as if he were God. In the work of Woodard, this is referred to as a severe mistake, and that he was guilty of Hubris, only punishable by the god of vengeance, Nemesis21. Agamemnon was too proud and over confident in his ability to lead, and no amount of consolation would reverse the fact that his daughter Iphigenia would be sacrificed to alleviate the sins22. Agamemnon tricks his wife and kills Iphigenia himself, which pleased Artemis, but more problems were to face Agamemnon. Littleton clearly brings out the beauty of Iphigenia and a great heroine as well23. Vengeance in this case would be applied to mean that the gods need to be respected as well as the law. Just as Agamemnon killed several persons in the quest to look for comfort, the same applied in his case. He also had to kill so as to have a good life. No one is above the law, in the Greek society, and order can only be attained in the event that all persons, including kings live in harmony with other persons. Woodard says it is absurd that Agamemnon would want to live a comfortable life bear children with a woman who he once killed their husband24. Vengeance runs in the family and this explains why Clytemnestra kills him passionately and is not wary of his whereabouts 10 years later. Heroic exploits as Woodard explains is typical in this myth25. The catastrophic destruction of Agamemnon relate to the dilemmas and disruptions that result from the heroic feeling and nature of the king. Agamemnon was too courageous, and held the belief that all issues would only be sort out on the sword. 4.0. The Oresteia in Greek myth In the work of Aeschylus, Alan & Burian, Oresteia is visualized as on of the agents of justice in the Greek society26. The authors continue to argue that Oresteia is a character who brings out a terrible situation in a positive form, as he tried to seek justice in a lighter manner.27 Oresteia symbolizes peace and comeback of the once torn family. Oresteia turns the once family wrangle to a state wrangle that aims at seeking justice. For the longest time, the house of Atreus had had a curse for the longest time. After the entire family line had experienced numerous deaths, the only son of Agamemnon takes a major part in resolving this family dispute. Orestes aims at killing the murderers of his father, who happen to be his mother and her lover, Aegisthus28. However it is important to note that in the course of avenging this death, Orestes is set upon the Furies, who are the past avengers of the lineage’s blood. It is at this stage that Orestes appeals to Apollo to grant him amnesty over the past cases that had befallen his shoulders. 4.1. Analysis of Orestes’ impact on vengeance The major conflict in this case would be termed as one that is generational over power of the throne, and who was the rightful person to take over the throne. It is at this time that we are left with the judgment of who is rightful or justified to deal with human crimes- humans or gods. This leaves the reader at the crossroads as who owns the ultimate weapon to justice. The case of Orestes is thrown to the community, and can be defined as of no family background. The vengeance of Orestes is one that is remembered to turn the then serious case that would have seen the death of many others on the family of Agamemnon. Civilization, in this opinion, is one that clearly indicates the act of civilization in alleviating human cataclysms. Civilization would arguably be termed as not being too expensive, and one that completely covers up occurrence of adverse situations in the society. Orestes symbolizes democracy, what had earlier been assumed in the Greek civilization29. Probably an application democracy would not have seen the death of numerous persons in the society. Conclusively, vengeance has both negative and positive impacts in the society. Primarily villains aimed at seeking justice through revenge that ultimately leads to worse situations in the society. However, Orestes comes in to neutralize the entire family feud, and justice is seemingly served in the eyes of the community. The real human nature of the involved characters has been seen in the desire and completion of their revenge missions30. References Aeschylus, Shapiro, Alan. & Burian, Peter. An Oresteia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Graf, Fritz. Greek Mythology: An Introduction. New York: JHU Press. 1996. Littleton, Scott. Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology, Volume 4. New York: Marshall Cavendish. 2005. Scott, Jill. Electra After Freud: Myth And Culture. New York: Cornell University Press. 2005. Westfahl, Gary. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders, Volume 2. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. 2005. Woodard, Roger. The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2007. Read More