During Greek Rule hundreds of years ago women were put to a standard and expected to maintain it through everything that they do. The Erinyes in the Oresteia, however, are female characters independently willed and portrayed as violent … Let Professionals Help You, Leave your email and we will send you an example after 24 hours 23:59:59, Let us edit for you at only $13.9/page to make it 100% original. This quote from the Greek tragedy, The Oresteia by Aeschylus, introduces readers to a theme of the piece: the role of women. Get Your Custom Essay on Implications of Gender Roles in Oresteia Just from $13,9/Page, We will write a custom essay sample on Implications of Gender Roles in Oresteia specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page. These murders were literally done in parallel situations but because Clytemnestra was a woman that killed a man, her offense was found to be a greater crime than Agamemnon and Orestes’. Pity me” (Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers, line 135), showing that Electra, even though she had nothing to do with the death of her father, believes that she needs to beg her father for forgiveness. Athena achieves her paradoxical result by misleading Apollo to think that he has received total victory in judgment and by offering compensatory powers to the Erinyes, thus creating an illusion of satisfaction for all amidst a reality of compromise, Euripidide’s The Medea and Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, the chorus acts as a point of relatability for the audience. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy. In the case of Euripidide’s The Medea and Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, the chorus is a litmus test especially, Everyone is reproachful of her actions and part of this has to do with her being a woman. The main story revolves around the mission of Orestes, who travels great length to … This opposition of gender then engenders all the other oppositions of the trilogy; conflicts of oikos and polis, chthonic and Olympian, old and young can be assigned to female and male spheres respectively. The Judgment of Athena in Oresteia. Cassandra’s importance is merely, It wasn’t until the last few decades that the feminist movement has poked a hole in gender roles. At the same time, it is important to … The female characters in the Oresteia are stark beacons of the inescapable entanglements of miasma and family. Even after her father is dead Electra says, “l call out to my father. When any woman did anything out of the norm then they were most likely ridiculed for what they had done. In his play, Oresteia, Aeschylus highlights the implications of gender roles in Greek society with the foiling of Clytemnestra by Electra to illustrate the Greek ideals and views of woman in contrast to their men, the Juxtaposition of Orestes and Clytemnestra as equal in their crime yet differing in Justification and reaction by the horus, and significance of male progression in Justice as carried out … In his play, Oresteia, Aeschylus highlights the implications of gender roles in Greek society with the foiling of Clytemnestra by Electra to illustrate the Greek ideals and views of woman in contrast to their men, the Juxtaposition of Orestes and Clytemnestra as equal in their crime yet differing in Justification and reaction by the horus, and significance of male progression in Justice as carried out through the victory of Apollo over the Euminides despite Justice being carried out by a female goddess, Athena. How about make it original at only $13.9/page? In each of the three plays, someone is seeking vengeance for a wrong done unto them, someone they know/love, or both. Don’t burden yourself with bad omens, lash yourself with guilt. This research analyzes gender issues in Aeschylus's Oresteia trilogy, comprising the plays Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers (Choephoroi), and Eumenides. Justice and Gender in the Oresteia Essay...Justice and Gender in the Oresteia Justice and gender are put into relation with each other in Aeschylus’ Oresteia. In the third and final play of The Oresteia trilogy, The Eumenides, Apollo testifies for Orestes and the Furies testify for the late Clytemnestra in a trial that will decide whether or not Orestes is guilty. The furies argued that Orestes killed his own flesh in blood and the woman that bore him. The Fury that brings punishment, however late. He claims that children don’t need mothers, that it is the father’s seed and that’s all someone needs. Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? When Electra’s own sister was killed by her father she didn’t ee any wrongdoing. Unfortunately for Clytemnestra though Apollo brings up that Athena was never born by natural birth and never had a mother to raise her. Subject: Gender. true of gender studies, which are quite abundant for India. The entire trilogy can be seen as a subtle assertion of the superiority of men over women. The originality of the stories is quite exemplary because Greek poets do not simply versify a given story; all rethink it with their own changes and additions, and in this sense they are themselves changing the “problematic” concepts in Athenian society. (2017, Jun 19). Gender is a major issue in the Oresteia. If you need this or any other sample, we can send it to you via email. When any woman did anything out of the norm then they were most likely ridiculed for what they had done. This focus on pollution is ineffective because the Erinyes themselves are polluted. In this trilogy, Greek society is characterized as a patriarch, where the oldest male assumes the highest role of the oikos (household). Further on into Electra’s speech to her father she says “make me far more self- possessed than mother, make this hand more pure” (Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers, line 145-146). If you contact us after hours, we'll get back to you in 24 hours or less. Electra stands by her father’s side, the man’s side, the whole time like any woman during those times would.