I commented on Hannah Atkins and Ethan Lafont.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Who has the better argument?
Who has the better argument for justice? The Furies or Apollo/Orestes? In my opinion, neither. But, Apollo makes a better case for Orestes. I think the Furies are just mad and seeking bloodshed because Clytemnestra tells them to do so in the opening lines of the story. Apollo and the Furies are arguing over what is right and what is wrong. Was it wrong for Orestes to kill his murderer of a mother or right for him o avenge his father's death? It is a fight for morality essentially. But, I do not think that the Furies put up a good argument because they seem shocked when Athena asks them if Orestes had incentive to kill his mother (line 439). Though, killing your mother is a bit extreme, it is also like saying do you have incentive to be angry with your mother when she does something to make you upset. Also, they say that Clytemnestra was not in the wrong because she didn't kill anyone that was in her bloodline. This seems wrong to me because Agamemnon was her husband and therefore bonded by marriage which is as close as you can be to blood when it is your spouse. Apollo defends Orestes' actions by saying his killing his mother was just in Zeus's eyes so that is all that mattered (line 626). Orestes killing his mother brings back the glory Agamemnon lost when Clytemnestra murdered him. To close, I do not think that either side puts up a good argument for a trial. Both sides are subjective to many things.
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I agree. I also thought it was really interesting that the Furies tried to justify Clytemnestra's actions while condemning Orestes for committing the same crime.
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe them both to have sorry defenses. However, I struggle with the idea of morality being used in the way of justifying murder. Essentially, shouldn't both mother and son be in the wrong if we are holding this to a standard of morality? But there again, we are dealing with Greek mythology and the gods who do not seem to have much of a consistent morality anyways.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. The furies are biased in not condemning Orestes' mother just because her husband was not in her bloodline.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this as well. The furies are very irrational and I believe they are showing bias towards Clytemnestra.
ReplyDeleteYou made some good points, because both sides are in the wrong. However, I lean more towards siding with Apollo and Oreste's because if the Furies get their way, then they will continue a cycle of revenge.
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