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Study Guide
Aeschylus, The Eumenides
or, How the Furies became the Kindly Ones of Athens
After millennia of faithful service, the Furies are now faced with divine restructuring and are threatened with down-sizing. Ultimately they are given a new job description.
Limit the scope of your paper by selecting one of the following topics:
- What does Athena offer the Furies?
- Why do the gods and Furies hate each other? Explain the point of view of each.
- Apollo says that Clytemnestra's crime was greater than Orestes's (in the 600s). What is his argument? What is the Furies' argument?
Some highlights in the text:
| Scene I | opening | Apollo's prophet at Delphi (the pythia) prays invoking Earth, Sky, Sun, Moon, Tradition, prepares to receive a vision. Instead she sees Orestes, surrounded by the Furies. Orestes has been pursued to the temple of Apollo at Delphi. He requires ritual cleansing of his mother's blood on his hands (cf. Lady MacBeth, Pilate). The Furies can't get him here - but neither can he leave. Apollo inflicts them with sleep so that Orestes can escape to Athens and appeal for justice. |
| 155, 184, 311-320 | two forms of justice in conflict: gods vs. furies | |
| 162-171 | gods young | |
| 55, 70-75 | furies ancient, daughters of Night | |
| 206-207, 325-328 | the furies are just trying to do their job; Clytemnestra reminds them what their job is, demands revenge | |
| Scene II | ||
| Furies | 307-427 | Song I - cast spell on Orestes. Note the two refrains. |
| Trial | 419-426 | Athena impartial |
| 427-449 |
Furies indict |
|
| 457-483 | Orestes pleads not guilty due to mitigating circumstances | |
| 484-505 | Athena recuses herself, summons a jury | |
| Furies | 506-571 | Song II - their justice restores equilibrium note the stage instructions: two extreme positions, Stone of Outrage, Stone of Unmercifulness |
| Prosecution | 594 599 603 610-611 615-619 |
Orestes, under cross-examination, admits murder |
| 628-659 | Apollo called to witness, cross-examined by Furies | |
| 660-664 |
Furies' closing argument |
|
| Defense | 665 | relative value of men and women (cf. Clytemnestra's crime less severe, l. 611) |
| 687-688 | both sides rest | |
| 673-725 | jury instructions; litigants talk trash | |
| Verdict | 650-656 | Orestes acquitted on a technicality |
| 757 | hung jury | |
| Furies | 792-912 | Song III - duet with Athena: curses |
| 928-1030 | Song IV - duet with Athena: tune changes - blessings | |
| 1046 | do ut des: women of Athens speed the Furies on their way with sacrifices in return for blessings. Note that the Furies change costume at l. 1038, from sacrilegous black to crimson, the sacred color that Agamemnon trampelled. |
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