The Bucket List Book Adventure - Book 5: The Eumenides - Aeschylus

The Bucket List Book Adventure - Book 5: The Eumenides - Aeschylus

By a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures 

Dear Henry,

Book Five of the Bucket List Book Adventure, Aeschylus’s The Eumenides, is complete! Let me tell you all about it.

This story could easily be described as the trial of the century.

"Rocky and rough are the paths for those who see and alike for those whose eyes are lost."

-Aeschylus, The Eumenides

It begins with Orestes, tormented and pursued by the Furies for the murder of his mother, Clytemnestra, seeking refuge at the Oracle of Delphi. Apollo advises him to travel to Athens and appeal to Athena for judgment. Meanwhile, Clytemnestra’s ghost rouses the Furies from their slumber, urging them to continue their relentless pursuit.

When Orestes reaches Athens, Athena intervenes and proposes a trial. The citizens of Athens serve as the jury, Apollo defends Orestes, and Athena presides as judge. The case divides the jurors evenly, with half advocating mercy and the other half advocating vengeance. Athena casts the deciding vote in Orestes’ favor, declaring that a tie should always favor acquittal. To appease the Furies, she invites them to remain in Athens as protectors of justice, renaming them The Eumenides, “The Kindly Ones.”

"There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain."

-Aeschylus, The Eumenides

While I admired Athena’s diplomacy, I’ll admit I was disappointed in her ruling. Apollo’s argument, that mothers are merely vessels and not true parents, was a harsh reminder of the place of women in Ancient Greece. Despite Clytemnestra’s faults, her plea to the Furies,“ I suffered too, horribly, and from those most dear, yet none among the powers is angered for my sake,”  broke my heart. I had hoped for more empathy from a goddess, particularly toward a woman.

Still, Aeschylus offers us hard-won wisdom: “There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain.”

This mythic courtroom drama also carries historical weight. It reflects the establishment of the Areopagus, the Athenian council that would become a cornerstone of Greek justice, and introduces the principle that a tied vote results in acquittal.

"Do good, receive good, and be honored as the good are honored."

- Aeschylus, The Eumenides

And so ends the Oresteia trilogy, the saga of vengeance, justice, and mercy in the wake of the Trojan War.

Next up, Prometheus Bound.

Until then,

xoxo, a.d. elliott

*Note* The Bucket List Book Adventure continues on Rite of Fancy — my literary corner of the Take the Back Roads journey. Come read more reflections on philosophy, faith, and the books that shape the road.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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