Introduction
Oresteia is a trilogy pitting Greek tragedies that are written by Aeschylus. The trilogy concerns the closing stages of the curse that was cast in the House of Atreus. In its original sense, Oresteia referred to the four plays. However, in the contemporary world, it refers to the surviving trilogy. The primary theme in the trilogy is the change of the pursuit of personal vendetta to a new system that incorporates litigation. The name Oresteia is derived from the character of Orestes, who in a bout on anger and thirst for revenge pursues the revenge of his father’s murder. Throughout the lay, images and references to blood are used copiously by the writer. The images and references have a lot of significance especially in advancing the themes in the trilogy. The images and references of blood throughout the play serve to advance the themes of revenge, philos-aphilos, social progress and justice in adherence to the ancient laws professed by the Erinies and the conflict between old gods and new gods.
Discussion
The perpetual blood bath in the play is not a mere coincidence as it serves to edify the ancient laws by which people lived.. In the olden days, the Erinies has ancient laws that served t impose juridical justice the people. These ancient laws mandated that blood ought to be paid for with blood (Aeschylus 9).
blood will have bloodis a law of human nature
In many instances of the play, vengeance is justified as the course for justice. Although this resulted in an unending cyclic of doom, vengeance had been a justified law in many houses throughout the generations. It was understood that the only thing that could cleanse a bloodstain was more blood. The irony of this was that it resulted in more bloodshed that would require more bloodshed. The references of blood that are used out throughout the trilogy serve to edify the laws that applied in the land at the time and the paradigm of social justice at the time.
The images and references of blood in the trilogy also edify the theme of institutionalized violence. The violence in the play was justified by law and the fact that it bred more violence did not deter its perpetration (Aeschylus 16).
entire history of violence marches towards its violent but valid retribution
The administration justice through bloodshed involves violent acts. Some of these violent acts escalate to the point of death. For instance, the killing of a loved one is met with the death of the perpetrator or members of their family. In this paradigm of social justice, violence is institutionalized and a justifiable means of acquiring justice for wrongs done. The choruses in the trilogy do not offer any prospective solutions to the spate of violence. It merely states that violence is part of the natural law of the land.
The reign of ancient gods is also illustrated through the use of images and references of blood. This was an all powerful reign, with the gods like Apollo exercising their absolute power onto their subjects. Each play in the trilogy depicts its character as sojourners on a path to a new life, a new way of being. Previously, the House of Atreus, the origin of the name the Oresteia, is enshrouded in the darkness or war, vengeance and bloodshed. The furies exercise free reign and tormented everyone they encountered. Apollo the god promised Orestes that the wrath of vengeance would not befall him. It is not expected that gods will go back on their words. However, Apollo throws his weight on the path of vengeance. In compliance the commands, Orestes condemns himself to a life of suffering in order to fulfill his obligations to his father and Apollo. (Aeschylus 99).
this violent prodigy so she dies by violence. I turn serpent, I kill her
Images and references of blood is a motif that marks the reign of the old gods. They profess vengeance and rule through bloodshed. They are the pinnacle of the old laws of social justice. The reign of the gods believes in retribution and Orestes is forced to abide by them.
The references and images of blood also serve to mark the transition between the evil and the good. They also help create a sharp contrast between retributive justice and social justice. Through the images and references of blood, the author paints the difference between the two paradigms of social justice. The reader and the audience in the play can draw comparisons between the paradigms of social justice then and those that apply in the contemporary society. In the previous paradigm, Orestes would have been killed for the crimes that he had committed owing to the philosophy of retributive justice. However, in the judicial paradigm of social justice, the furies try Orestes in a court (Aeschylus 5).
goddess appoints a group of men to conduct a trial for manslaughter
The residing grand jury is made of the goddess Athena. The Athenian elders also form part of the jury. Given this chance to defend himself, Orestes is acquitted (Aeschylus 5).
Orestes is acquitted and restored to his fathers' lands
According to the old laws that the Erinies professed, the decades of unpaid blood in the crimes committed by Orestes could only be paid in blood. This shows the conflict between the old gods and the new gods. However, goddess of Athena calms the infuriated furies, daemons proponents of vendetta-law and explaining that civilizations cannot be built on perpetual bloodbath.
The bloodshed in the play portrays murder that is perpetrated on a part of oneself rather than on an external enemy. Philos-aphilos is an enchanted force in the three plays. The literal interpretation of this is that Orestes exterminates his own mother, Aegisthus as an accomplice of Clytaemestra takes part in the slaying of his cousin Agamemnon. The hate in the trilogy gains intensity from the rejected and stopped original love when the acts of violence are perpetrated against parts of oneself.
Conclusion
Images and references of blood are used in the trilogy in over one hundred and fifty nine incidents. These incidences can be mistaken for their literal meaning. However, they carry more implication than is implied in their literal meaning. Through the images and references of blood, the writer advances the themes of retributive justice as the vice it is in society. Through the same images and references, the writer contrasts this with the new paradigm of social justice, the judicial justice. This form of justices is a unifying force by providing the form of justice that embraces fairness and social progress (Aeschylus 5).
Athena persuades the Furies, the demons of the primitive vendetta-law, to become benevolent patrons, changing their names to 'Eumenides'
References
Aeschylus, ., & Campbell, L. (1893). The Oresteia of Aeschylus. London: Methuen.
