Great Works of Literature I, Spring 2020 – Online – One

How do you perceive the ending of the trilogy in relation to the rest of it?

We see a change at the end of the trilogy when the cycle of revenge is broken. The Athenian people use a judicial system to determine whether or not Orestes is guilty and by doing so we see one of the first examples of judicial justice system in history. It fits well with the rest of the story because in the first two stories we see the how without an impartial third party to give out judgements and without consequences or laws for actions society can not work properly. Then in the third and final tragedy, the Athenian people get together and vote whether or not Orestes is guilty. The verdict is split and Athena herself weighs in to tip the scales. We see an example of people becoming civil and giving him a fair trail where he was proven not-guilty instead of someone next in line coming and murdering Orestes in revenge.