Throughout this play, I was bothered by the question: is it right for Gods to interfere in business not of their own? This, of course, happens all the time in Greek myth, but I feel it especially here. Apollo steps up to defend Orestes, as is his right for ordering him to kill his mother. The Furies are in the right to kill Orestes, as it is what they are meant to do and have done since the beginning. Athena comes in to this situation as a mediator, which makes sense, and the decision is made by lots cast by a council of citizens. I do find this to be a most agreeable method of handling this situation, and all parties are satisfied in the end. However, was it right to restrict the Furies from performing their duties in the first place? Orestes admits to killing his mother, and gives the reasons for it, which feel like good reasons, yet it is the duty of the Furies to drive out those who murder their parents. Yet Apollo, an new Olympian god, denies them that. To be Honest, I don't know the answer to this, and it will be a cornerstone for class discussion, to be sure. I suppose it is up to whose side you are on, in the end.
I commented on Ethan Lafont's post.
I believe it is right in some cases for the gods to interfere. Apollo helps Orestes in this case.
ReplyDeleteI think, although Orestes was the instrument of destruction, the trial ultimately lies between the Furies and Apollo, since Apollo gave the orders. He could have simply swept down and murdered Clytaemnestra himself, and the Furies would not have an issue with it.
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