This is a play by Aeschylus. It is in GB Volume 5 - Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes.
Characters
- The Prophetess
- Apollo
- Orestes
- The Ghost of Clytaemnestra
- Chorus of Furies
- Athena
- The Judges
- Escort
Summary
Eumenides is the final play of the Oresteia trilogy, depicting the resolution of the blood-feud that has plagued the House of Atreus. The play begins at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, where Orestes has sought sanctuary. He is surrounded by the Furies, ancient chthonic deities of vengeance, who have fallen into a deep sleep. Apollo, who commanded Orestes to kill his mother, promises his continued protection and sends Orestes to Athens to seek the judgment of Athena. The ghost of Clytaemnestra soon appears to wake the Furies, urging them to resume their pursuit of the “matricide.”
The scene shifts to Athens, where Orestes is found clinging to the statue of Athena. The Furies corner him, chanting a “binding song” intended to blast his soul and assert their ancient right to punish those who spill kindred blood. Athena arrives and, recognizing the unprecedented nature of the conflict, decides that the matter is “too weighty” for any one god or mortal to judge alone. She establishes the Areopagus, a court composed of the finest Athenian citizens, to hear the case. This marks the transition from private vendetta to institutionalized, state-managed justice.
During the trial, the Furies represent the “Old Justice,” arguing that the bond of the mother’s blood is the most sacred and that its violation must be punished by death. Apollo serves as Orestes’ defense counsel, arguing for the “New Justice” of the Olympian gods. He presents a controversial patriarchal argument, claiming that the mother is merely a “nurse of seed new-sown” and that the father is the true parent—citing Athena herself, who was born from the head of Zeus, as proof. The jury of Athenian citizens casts their votes, resulting in a tie. Athena then casts the tie-breaking vote in favor of Orestes, acquitting him of the charge.
The Furies are initially enraged by the verdict, threatening to “vex this land and visit it in wrath” with barrenness and disease. However, Athena engages in a masterful display of persuasion (Peitho). She offers the Furies a permanent home in Athens and a role as protectors of the city’s fertility and legal order. She promises them “altars and shining thrones” and the perpetual honor of the citizens. The Furies eventually relent and are transformed into the Eumenides, or “The Kindly Ones.”
The trilogy concludes with a grand procession as the Eumenides are escorted to their new sanctuary beneath the earth. The play ends in a celebration of the city’s new legal framework, which reconciles the ancient chthonic laws of vengeance with the rational, civic justice of the State. The cycle of blood-vengeance is officially broken, replaced by the rule of law and the establishment of the Areopagus as a “bulwark of salvation” for Athens.