The Orestia

The People v. Orestes In the last portion of “The Orestia”, titled “The Euminides”, Aeschlyus describes the trial of Orestes, who is brought in front of a jury on the charge of matricide. The jury hands in a tied verdict and the goddess Athena casts the deciding vote in favor of Orestes. This of course begs the question: Was Athena’s decision fair? I believe that this decision was in the best interest of fairness …

…to his chagrin, he found himself caught up in a deceptive web of lies, betrayal, and murder. While it is impossible to exactly what he was thinking, Orestes was a reasonable man who fell victim to unreasonable circumstances. Athena, while snubbing justice, smiled upon an act of fairness. The death of Orestes would not have accomplished anything, but to reinforce a long running pattern of death in the house of Atrius. The decision was fair.