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Orestes Gets Away With Revenge

An Oresteia of Greek mythology tells the story of Agamemnon’s death at the hand of his wife Klytaimestra and how their son Orestes sets out to seek revenge. In the last scene Orestes and his sister Elektra have already killed their mother Klytaimestra and the public has condemned them to death. Furies torment Orestes for having betrayed the family and he along with Elektra attempt to punish Menelaos for not helping them in their time of need. 

Speaking as Orestes:

            All is well now. Apollo sent me on this mission to avenge my father’s death and he has rescued me from harm at the last hour, delivering me from the jaws of death. Of course for a brief moment I doubted his absolute divinity when he left me to fend for myself as the people of Argos were condemning me to a brutal death. I was afraid that he had forgotten about my sister and me. Still not even then did I regret my actions in any way. I knew what had to be done and I executed it perfectly. Now that justice has been served, I know my sister and I will lead prosperous lives. I will do as I was told and marry Hermione and flee this place right away and create a bright future for myself. I cannot glorify this day enough, for I saw the end so close and now I see a vast fruitful future. All that is left to say is “O great Victory, holy god, may you inhabit my life and never cease crowning me with beautiful success!” [1320]

Relationship between two characters:

The relationship between Orestes and Elektra is strong and seems cemented by the crime they committed together. When the Furies are attacking Orestes’ conscience as a result of betraying his family and he is bedridden from all the pain Elektra loyally sits by his bedside. She tries as well as she can to nurse him back to health. Then later on once they hear the verdict of their punishment, they prepare to die together in the most honorable way the can muster. Like many brother-sister relationships they believe in unconditionally supporting each other. This is especially true when they find themselves in life threatening situations, which is true in Orestes and Elektra’s case.

Quote:

            Menelaos: “No choice but to obey.” Menelaos says this after Apollo has given his verdict of what both men must do. He orders them to both obey and end their differences. At first, neither character seemed very keen on forgiving the other and forgetting what had just occurred. Yet, Apollo is their god and therefore they must listen to him. This quote clearly demonstrates the importance of spiritual devotion and the high position that gods had in Greek society. The importance of obeying divine rule also reigned true in many religious societies throughout history. Whether or not one agreed with the word of their god they believed that they must do as they were told and follow in the footsteps of their god because gods always had the last word in any matter. In this scene, Menelaos and Orestes clearly feel obliged to do as Apollo says for this same reason.