Oresteia and Justice in the Polis

All the sequence of events involves matricide phenomenon until there is the introduction of justified procedure that does not include personal retaliation, vendetta, and murder but hearing and judgment through public citizen voting and the final vote from the judge. The system of seeking justice involved a murderous series of acts where a family member felt they have been deprived of their loved one and retaliated by committing murder too (Aeschylus p. g 1). The Akhaians evolve from a primitive and an autocratic form of judicial practice to a more civilized judicial concept devised by Athena who has assumed the goddess of wisdom. The ancient rule of justice stated that blood must be paid with more blood and was supported by the Furies who were tasked with finding and punishing wrongdoers and this task was bestowed on them by Destiny in the dawn of time.

She in effect demanded him to sacrifice her in order for his ship to sail to Troy successfully. She interferes with the wind and Agamemnon fleet couldn’t sail to Troy (Aeschylus p. g 101). Orestes the son of Agamemnon returns home and can't be identified by her mother. Unrecognized as he is, he reunites with his sister Electra and they plot to murder their mother and her lover Aegisthus as he was ordered by Apollo (twin brother to Artemis) (The Libation Bearers). Orestes pleaded with the goddess of wisdom (Athena) for help and she sets up a trial for him in the capital of Greece Athens on an Aeropagus (Aeschylus p. g 135-141). The trial consisted of twelve Athenian citizens, Furies, Apollo and it was chaired by Athena herself on an Aeropagus.

Orestes is used by Athena as an example to set up the first courtroom trial. The process is conducted and at the end, the votes are tied up and it is up to Athena to cast the deciding vote. The system also introduces humane actions on handling these people in a manner that does not include bloodshed and killing of a family member to achieve justice in the form of retaliation. These techniques of judicial practice have turned advantageous to the community in an elaborate manner. The end to the curse of the in the house of Atreus and the consequences on his descendants, the introduction of a legitimate litigation processes, no bloodshed for justice, democracy and freedom, good communal relationship are some of the many advantages that the Athens communities enjoyed and adapted as mechanisms to attract justices for their brutally fallen members (Aeschylus p.

g 344-345). In the play, the house of Atreus has been cursed by the gods after he tried to trick them and feed them the flesh of his own brother’s son. The system cycled around severe bloodshed where justice was expressed in from the brutal murder of the oppressor. With the change in the judicial methods, the system transitioned from a personal vendetta to an organized litigation that allows both parties to decide the fate of the wrongdoers without necessarily murdering them personally (Aeschylus p. g 465). The use of murder as a tool and method to settle the feuds among people faced extinction as they adapted to the new methods of courtrooms. Democracy is a condition where the citizens have a say and enjoy there laid freedom without a dictatorial leadership.

These artifacts collectively introduced good interrelationships between the furies, Athena, and the community. The Furies also changed the euphemism trait and became the vigilantes to guard the city, the community members in Athen adopted the simpler method to solve the crime and formed part of the jury bench (Aeschylus p. g 513). These elements enhanced the prevalence of peace in the community and as the people felt fairness is practiced and crimes are justified collectively. Conclusion Justice is one of the most crucial components of a democratic republic in the contemporary duration of development and management of set moral standards and in the society.