I'm gonna take a different stab at this and say that "Blood" is synonymous with guilt. This connection makes itself clear from the very first scene of the play. We see a terrified Pythia shocked by a scene of horror and wonder as she is describing Orestes and how he's drenched in blood (Clytemnestra's blood), waiting at Apollo's altar surrounded by the sleeping furies. Once Apollo has cleansed him, Orestes becomes clean once again of the wrong that he has done. The furies however, beg to differ, and they're right to. They want to payback bloodshed with more bloodshed. To them, Clytemnestra's blood is a stain that will stick with Orestes for his entire life.
I commented on Ty's and Francesca's.
This idea of blood being a symbol of guilt is one that dates back centuries (obviously, this text is centuries old... anyway, moving on). Good observation. It is also interesting to note that though blood is often a symbol of guilt, it is through the blood of an innocent that men are cleansed (in Christian theology). Perhaps there is a correlation- the blood taken in sin makes one guilty, the blood taken without sin= man cleansed of guilt. This idea is even evident in the Orestia in Apollo's defense of Orestes by claiming his act was just. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying, but it sounds like an eye for an eye. If that is the way they go about justifying that...who will avenge the murder of Orestes? and then the murder after that...etc.
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