Great Books Ep 68. Aeschylus - Eumenides. Paternal Shadows: Devotion, Duty or Rebellion?

The father-son relationship is a complex one. Literature depicts it in different ways, from matching immense expectations to the fight against tyranny.

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“Zeus, thou pretendest, holds a father’s life

Precious exceedingly; and yet Himself

Cast his own Father Cronos into chains!

Why, is not this confounding contraries?”

~ ‘Eumenides’ by Aeschylus (G. M. Cookson translation. p87. line 643)

Brief Summary:

The play begins at Delphi, the temple of Apollo, where a prophetess is praying as she enters the shrine. She invokes the gods and establishes that Apollo has received the gift of prophecy from his father, Zeus, and his grandmother, Phoebe. She comes out immediately after entering, horrified by the sight of sleeping Furies around Orestes, who has come to take refuge. The temple doors open, and Apollo is seen standing over Orestes, assuring him of his protection. He asks Orestes to go to Athens and clasp Athena’s statue, and he will find judges to defend his cause. The ghost of Clytemnestra appears, chastising the Furies for sleeping while Orestes, her murderer, seeks refuge. The Furies wake up and argue why Orestes has to be punished and why they are not happy with Apollo’s interference. Apollo defends Orestes by saying that a husband’s murder disrupts societal order while a wife’s does not, while the Furies maintain that killing a blood relative is the worst of crimes. 

The scene then shifts to Athens. At the trial, Apollo argues that while matricide is a crime, in this instance, it is justified because it was driven by Zeus’s will. Apollo further argues that the father is the true begetter and the mother is merely a nurse to the seed planted by the father. Athena steps in and talks about the need for balance and justice. The votes are cast, and the results are tied. Athena then casts a vote in favor of Orestes, saying she was born to Zeus without a mother. The Furies are upset and angry. 

Oh, ye young Gods! Ye have ridden the old 

laws down, ye have reft

My prey, and I am left 

Dishonoured and undone! 

Athena negotiates a compromise and offers the Furies a new role as protectors of justice and civic harmony. This pacifies them, and they accept, transforming from agents of vengeance into the ‘Eumenides’ (Kindly Ones), and they offer blessings of prosperity and justice to Athens.

My Thoughts:

Euminedes is a great play to understand the justice system at work. Though Apollo makes a compelling case for Patriarchy and the importance of men, and it seems like that is generally accepted by all, when the votes come in, it is a tie! Orestes’ argument, in this and the previous play, is that he had no choice but to avenge his father’s death. He was compelled by the gods, by people and by the established norms of the expectations put on sons by the society. 

It made me think of father-son relationship portrayed in the books that I’ve read so far in the Great Books series - The Iliad, The Odyssey and the Plays of Aeschylus. The father-son relationship is a dominant theme in all the books and in the Greek society at that time. Telemachus is just a baby when Ulysses leaves for war and so is Orestes I think. Most of the warriors are referred to as sons of someone - Agamemnon and Menelaus as sons of Atreus, Achilles as the son of Peleus, Hector and Paris as sons of Priam, etc. The concept of respecting and honoring one’s father is everywhere. Also, the importance of sons is highlighted in many places. Priam risks his life and a lot of wealth to go into the Greek camp to ask for Hector’s body. Achilles gives in because Priam reminds him of his father, Peleus. In the Odyssey, Telemachus constantly feels the weight of expectations on him because his father was a well-respected hero. While Ulysses is portrayed as someone who exceeded his father’s expectations, Telemachus is someone who has not measured up yet. In ‘The Persians’, Xerxes is compelled to mount a massive attack against the Greeks since he wants to prove that he is as great as his famous father, which leads to his downfall and defeat. 

Though there are many instances where sons are expected to do more than they could because of the high standards that their fathers set, there are other instances where the father’s evil deeds cause grief to the sons. Oedipus’ evil deed, though unknowingly done, causes his sons, Eteocles and Polynices, to kill each other. Atreus’ evil deed of killing his brother’s children causes hardships to his son Agamemnon and grandson Orestes. 

Another aspect of the relationship, seen throughout history, is that of sons fighting their fathers. During their argument, the Furies mention that Zeus is the champion of fathers and wants everyone to value fathers, but he himself chained his father up. Defeating one’s father and chaining him up is also a symbol of fighting against tyranny and the old order. 

AI Chatbot Responses

Prompt: I’m currently reading Aeschylus’ play named ‘Eumenides’. Here is a brief summary, and my thoughts. Please provide an analysis, and expand it with further insights with examples and contemporary lessons.  Brief Summary: <copy-paste>. My Thoughts:  <copy-paste>.  

1. ChatGPT

Eumenides serves as an intriguing focal point for examining father-son dynamics within Greek literature, particularly through its representation of justice, duty, and familial obligations. The play captures a transition from divine to civic justice, reflecting on how these transitions impact personal relationships and societal norms. Here, the father-son relationship is critical, both in the actions of Orestes and in the divine justifications presented by Apollo.

Divine Justification and Patriarchal Values

Apollo’s defense of Orestes by emphasizing the primacy of the father's role over the mother's reflects deeply ingrained patriarchal values. His argument that the mother is merely a "nurse" to the father’s seed diminishes the maternal role to a mere vessel, underscoring the patriarchal perception of lineage and legacy that prioritizes male contributions. This is exemplified in the play by Athena’s decision to side with Orestes, influenced by her own father-centric birth from Zeus. This decision, while resolving the plot of the play, also serves to reinforce the societal norm that values the paternal lineage and its preservation over maternal claims, highlighting the weight of paternal expectations on sons.

Expectations and Responsibilities

In The Iliad and The Odyssey, as well as in Aeschylus' works, the expectation placed upon sons to uphold and exceed their fathers' legacies is a recurring theme. Orestes’ actions are motivated by the need to avenge his father, Agamemnon, which he sees as his filial duty, yet this duty forces him into the moral quandary of matricide. Similarly, Telemachus in The Odyssey struggles with living up to the heroic legacy of Odysseus, while in The Persians, Xerxes’ desire to match or surpass his father Darius leads to disastrous consequences.

The Impact of Fatherly Legacy

The legacy of the father profoundly affects the destinies of their sons, often setting the stage for the sons' major life decisions and conflicts. This is visible in the curse of the House of Atreus, where the misdeeds of fathers haunt successive generations, illustrating how the sins of the father are often visited upon the son. This notion is ancient but finds relevance in contemporary discussions about generational trauma and the psychological burden of living up to parental expectations.

Rebellion Against Paternal Authority

The motif of sons opposing their fathers, mentioned in your reflection on Zeus and Cronos, also resonates with the broader theme of challenging the old order. This rebellion can be seen as both a literal and metaphorical overthrow of outdated norms and tyrannies, suggesting a cycle of renewal that is necessary for societal progress. This cycle is evident in how Athena restructures the ancient Furies into protectors of justice, symbolizing a shift from vengeance to civic order.

Contemporary Lessons

Modern readers can draw several lessons from these ancient narratives. The enduring emphasis on paternal legacy and the expectations placed upon sons can lead to reflections on how contemporary societies still value and transmit familial and cultural legacies. The conflicts arising from these expectations can inform current discussions about individual identity formation in the shadow of powerful parental figures.

Additionally, the transformation of the Furies into benevolent figures underscores the potential for turning destructive forces into constructive ones, relevant in contexts such as criminal justice reform, where the focus shifts from retribution to rehabilitation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the father-son relationships portrayed in Aeschylus' Eumenides and other Greek classics provide rich insights into the interplay between individual duties and societal expectations. These relationships, fraught with responsibilities and conflicts, not only drive the narratives of ancient myths but also offer timeless reflections on power, legacy, and justice that continue to resonate in modern societies.

2. Gemini

You've offered some excellent observations on the complexities of the father-son relationship in Eumenides and the greater context of ancient Greek literature. Here's an analysis focusing on your insights, offering further expansion, and connecting the play to contemporary themes:

The Weight of Expectations and the Individual Struggle

You're right to identify how societal expectations weigh heavily on sons in these works. Orestes, Telemachus, even Xerxes, grapple with the legacy of their fathers as heroes or rulers. This resonates even today. While modern society might not revolve around war or direct lineage as sources of power, sons (and daughters) often face unspoken pressures to live up to parental expectations regarding career paths, personal choices, or measures of success. Eumenides, in particular, highlights how such pressure can be deeply entwined with a need to uphold societal order, leading Orestes into a moral crisis.

Patriarchy and Its Challenges

Apollo's argument favoring the father as the true source of life is a stark expression of patriarchal ideology, and Athena's birth from Zeus' head reinforces a male-centric vision of origin. Yet, your point about the tied vote suggests that this ideology is not completely absolute. It's worth examining whether Athena's own status as a powerful female figure introduces a subtle tension to the play–does she embody the male order or offer an alternate lens on the value of the feminine? Modern audiences might find these questions of gender and power even more resonant than those of Orestes' time.

The Curse of the Father's Sins

There's also profound irony in Zeus casting himself as the champion of fathers, considering his overthrow of Cronos. The curse that hangs over the House of Atreus in The Oresteia trilogy makes this theme of generational consequence particularly powerful. This echoes modern concerns about intergenerational trauma. It's not just about lineage or inheritance, but about the unseen ways that a parent's choices, both good and bad, subtly influence their children's fates.

Rebellion and the Search for a New Order

The idea of sons challenging fathers is multifaceted. It embodies a rejection of the old, which can be destructive, but also potentially transformative. In Eumenides, the Furies represent the untamed rage of the old ways, focused on blood-feuds and absolute vengeance. To defeat them, Apollo argues, would be to dismiss them outright. Instead, Athena's wisdom lies in understanding there's power within even ancient forces, and her compromise offers a model for societal change that integrates the old into the new, rather than violently eliminating it. We see echoes of this in contemporary struggles around reform and social progress, where the question of how to move forward without completely eradicating the past is constantly contested.

Additional Points to Consider

• Whose Justice? Even though Athena casts the deciding vote, it's on behalf of the male perspective and the new patriarchal order. One could argue that the Furies truly represent a matrilineal system that gets undermined. This brings up questions of whose values define "justice" in any system.

• The Evolving Role of the Son: From Telemachus searching for a fatherly role model to Orestes bound by duty, these sons face distinct challenges. This invites reflections on how father figures, whether present or absent, shape the journey of young men even in our contemporary world.

Overall

Your analysis is spot on in identifying the enduring relevance of ancient Greek works. While the specifics of their society are different, themes of patriarchal legacy, intergenerational conflict, and the struggle to define a just society resonate across time and remain open to compelling modern interpretations.