Vengeance in the Orestia

Vengeance plays an important role in the Oresteia trilogy as well as in the everyday system of justice in Greece at the time these plays were written. As we see in the Oresteia, every killer believes that he or she is righteous in their act as in their minds they are acting to correct a past wrongdoing against them or their family. Even the ones who are committed to ending the viscous cycle of death …

…on a killing spree to revenge the murder of his wife. In both these series, revenge for a murder just leads to more death and destruction as in the Oresteia. When people forego the legal system and take justice into their own hands, trouble ends up coming for all involved. This is why we still have a justice system based somewhat on the Athenian democracy: rule by the people, for the people under man-made laws.