What happens at the end of Eumenides?
In the end, the Furies, now known as the Kindly Spirits, accept Athena’s offer and replace their black robes with reddish-purple ones. Although they will still seek vengeance against evil-doers, they will now also aid the good people of Athens.
What happens in the Eumenides?
“The Eumenides” tells of how Orestes is pursued to Athens by the vengeful Erinyes for the murder of his mother, Clytemnestra, and how he is tried before Athena and a jury of Athenians to decide whether his crime justifies the torment of the Erinyes.
What is the story of Orestes?
Orestes, in Greek mythology, son of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae (or Argos), and his wife, Clytemnestra. Orestes, who has killed his adulterous mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus, has fled to the Temple of Apollo for refuge, pursued by the Furies (Erinyes), the goddesses of vengeance.
What is the story of the Furies?
Their Story In one story, the Furies are born from the blood of Uranus, the ancient god of the sky, and Gaea, or mother Earth, after Uranus’s death. In other stories, they are the children of Gaea and Darkness. When they were not punishing people on Earth, they were working to torture the unfortunate in the Underworld.
What is the main conflict in the play Eumenides?
At the core of The Eumenides sits a conflict of familial bonds. Orestes, after all, has killed his mother Clytemnestra in order to avenge her murder of his father Agamemnon.
What does the word Eumenides mean?
the Furies
Definition of Eumenides : the Furies in Greek mythology.
Who did Orestes plot with?
In these stories, Orestes was pursued relentlessly by the Furies, female spirits of justice and vengeance who drove men mad. In the version of the story told by Aeschylus, Orestes sought refuge from the Furies at Delphi, home of the oracle that had ordered him to avenge his father’s death.
What is the meaning of Orestes?
Definition of Orestes : the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who with his sister Electra avenges his father by killing his mother and her lover Aegisthus.
What did the Furies do to criminals?
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Furies were female spirits of justice and vengeance. They were also called the Erinyes (angry ones). Known especially for pursuing people who had murdered family members, the Furies punished their victims by driving them mad.
What do the Furies symbolize?
Furies, Greek Erinyes, also called Eumenides, in Greco-Roman mythology, the chthonic goddesses of vengeance. They were probably personified curses, but possibly they were originally conceived of as ghosts of the murdered.
What is the moral lesson of the story the Eumenides?
The Eumenides has two prequels—Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers—and these three plays together form Aeschylus’s trilogy called the Oresteia. In both of those first two plays, revenge and justice are essentially equated—that is, paying back someone who has wronged you is considered the right and moral thing to do.
What are the messages in Eumenides?
The main messages in Aeschylus’s play Eumenides include a son’s responsibility to avenge his father’s death and the gods’ unequaled power to resolve moral dilemmas.
What is the summary of the Eumenides?
The Eumenides Summary. The play opens with Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, preparing to perform her morning prayer. Her ritual is interrupted, however, by a bloodstained refugee who has come to her temple to be cleansed. It is Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother in order to avenge her murder of his father.
Why did the Eumenides begin to chase after Orestes?
They began to chase after Orestes, to punish him for the killing of his mother. The Eumenides begins before the temple of Apollo, in Delphi. The Pythia, Apollo’s priestess, enters the temple and then immediately comes out again, describing a scene of horror and wonder.
Is there a printable PDF version of the Eumenides litchart?
Get the entire The Eumenides LitChart as a printable PDF. “My students can’t get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof.” -Graham S.
Who did Atreus marry in the Eumenides?
The Eumenides Summary. Atreus had two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus. Agamemnon married Clytaemestra, and Menelaus married Helen. Helen was seduced by Paris of Troy, and she went willingly with him back to his city. Agamemnon and Menelaus organized the chieftains of Greece into a massive force to win her back.