Erinyes

factors in what the characters in Eumenides believe to be virtuous (Plato 105, 427e). The magical features of Orestes ' world eventually bring two conflicting views of justice to the point where a compromise must be made in order to achieve humanity in a more progressive manner. The Furies represent the old understanding of justice in Eumenides; they torment Orestes because he commits matricide, the killing of his own blood. In their opinion, "[his] mother 's blood that wets the ground" is grounds for their vengeance (Aeschylus 243, 259). The Furies demand that death be brought upon him, continuing the cycle of murder in the search for justice. In fact, the Furies, who represent primitive reaction and natural instinct, are also known as Erinyes, which means curse. Apollo represents the idea of justice contrasting that of the Furies. As the god of revelation, he speaks in Orestes ' defense, arguing that "the man is the source of life - the one who mounts," and backs up his argument by displaying that Athena was born only of Zeus, without a mother (Aeschylus 260, 669). In Orestes ' case, the Furies and Apollo clash due to the fact that the Furies believe strongly that those who harm their own blood must be punished, while Apollo believes that political traitors ' punishments (regicide) should take precedent over those who "slaughter by a matricidal hand" (Aeschylus 235, 106). These conflicting ideas make justice and piety difficult to achieve for humans; justice, as well as…

Systems that describe general rules in which good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished are the foundation of a culture’s moral code. Within this code are predetermined ideas of what is right and wrong. Due to the negativity bias, the focus on the bad and how it can be punished tends have a greater effect on one’s psychological state than how kindliness is rewarded. While the two are equal counterparts, the redress of wrongs take precedence over the enforcement of rights. Retribution…

“If you love someone, you stand by him, forever, no matter what ” (Nolan, 67). Loving in times of struggle and panic is a process that Jason experiences frequently. Through Jason’s experience of living and taking care of himself and his crazy father on his own, Jason persists on accepting his father’s illness through love. Whatever the cost is, both mentally and physically, love affects a great majority of Jason’s actions and thoughts. In Crazy, by Han Nolan, Jason’s father becomes mentally ill…

Each God or Goddess in Ancient Greek life had a role. Some provided people with a sense of hope, some provided people with fame, and the Goddess Athena provided a sense of authority for humanity. In The Oresteia, a trilogy written by Aeschylus her power is shown in many ways, stemming from the fact that she is the Greek Goddess of War, a job that requires a person to have a sense of strong authority. In a war zone, authority is necessary to gain and maintain control and to provide structure…

Human societies have always required systems to maintain balance, order, and control. The foundation of human civilization spawned from a rapid growth in population during the neolithic era, compelling communities to form hierarchical systems, and early ideas of law. While, during the millennia that followed, ideological and technological progress compelled these systems to evolve and improve, history reveals a repetitive continuity connecting the past and present. The decisions, systems, and…

For this assignment, I watched a play called “The Insanity of Mary Girard” that was performed by a UT Theatre group, Round About Players, and was shown at the SAC black box. The play revolved around a young woman named Mary Girard who is thrown into an insane asylum by her wealthy husband, Stephen Girard. In the insane asylum, she is tormented by figments of her imagination and is told that she is not to leave the insane asylum for as long as she may live. In this particular adaptation, the…

2) How does Dante use material from classical mythology and classical literature? Charon, the Furies, and Virgil’s discourse on Fortune egregious examples of Dante’s cultural syncretism. Dante uses the various fantastic and hellish beasts that populate Roman, Greek, Latin, and other classical mythologies to illustrate the guardians of the afterlife that he is attempting to portray to the audience. Charon, the navigator of the River Styx, is called back to do an encore of the job he had done…

and watching over the home and family, and also listening to the men, as they were of higher status. The Erinyes in the Oresteia, however, are female characters independently willed and portrayed as violent and powerful. They later become the Eumenides, hidden underground and transformed. The transformation of the Erinyes into the Eumenides cements Aeschylus’ view of women and their role in society as the Erinyes transform from angry, bitter, and violent portrayals of women to more subdued,…

In both Greek and Roman mythology, Furies were known as spirits of justice and revenge. They are known by the Greeks as Erinyes, meaning the “angry ones” and are also known to attack people who have murdered family members and punish them by driving them mad for their horrendous deed. Furies, also had the job of torturing and punishing the damned and wrongdoers in the Underworld--the homes of the Furies.Other myths say that Furies were three sisters, created by the the blood of Uranus that fell…

trapped between life and death. Another widely believed concept among the Greeks was the idea that the Underworld was split into two realms: Elysium and the Realm of Hades; brave heroes, the good and righteous people were granted access into Elysium, while all others were condemned to Hades. In Homer 's 'Odyssey ' those who were cast in the Realm of Hades after death became“like a shadow or a dream” (Homer, Odyssey, 257) with “sinews that no longer hold the flesh and bone together” (Homer,…