In the Oresteia, Aeschylus presents his three books ("Agamemnon", "The Libation Bearers" and "The Furies") in such a way that the narrative progresses from from madness and lack of justice in “Agamemnon,” where Clytemnestra receives no punishment for her murder, to Athena's establishment of a justice system so that Orestes can be properly tried for matricide in “The Furies”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The anarchy in the first book leading to Agamemnon's death represents an outdated way of taking revenge, while the final book in the series breaks a potentially endless cycle of innocent murder when Orestes demands a trial to determine whether his deadly actions were justified or not. In essence, Orestes' trial ends the domino effect that begins when Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia. The overarching themes driving this three-book play are justice, the confluence of which influences the actions of Clytemenstra and Orestes and leads to the eventual development of an adequate justice system. Although Agamemnon begins the cycle of murder through his mortal sacrifice of Iphigenia, his wife Clytemnestra continues the trend through the calculated murder of her husband and his concubine, Cassandra. The chorus of Argive elders find Clytemnestra standing over the bodies of her victims, covered in blood, potentially on the verge of madness. In this post-slaughter scene there is a clear conflict between the ideas of at? and justice in Clytemnestra's motivation to kill. She believes the murders are "justice sought for her son" because her husband has "wrong her." However, Clytemnestra also rejoices in being drenched in Agamemnon's blood, which leads the audience to reflect on the level of madness, or ?, that a person must possess to take such pleasure in killing. Of course, all cold-blooded killers must possess a certain degree of madness to carry out such violence, but Clytemnestra takes her detachment to a new level by expressing pure joy, which contributes to her depraved image. Even though Clytemnestra believes that righteousness guides her actions, Iphigenia's death obviously “made her mad,” revealing the role of at? in his violent revenge. The presence of madness and justice in the first book of the Oresteia provides an example of how easily a character with an unstable mind can misunderstand the idea of ​​justice. These themes also act as an undercurrent, driving the plot forward towards further deaths in later books. In the second book, "The Libation Bearers," justice is again an important theme when Orestes kills his mother, Clytemnestra. He returns to Argos to mourn and avenge his father's death, a decision supported by a host of characters such as his sister Electra, the chorus of libation bearers, and even the god Apollo. These secondary characters believe that Orestes must enforce justice, claiming that “it is the law, that the shed blood that wets the earth demands blood in return” (85.400-401). The opinions of these characters represent those of the entire city. They believe that the only way for the community to heal from Clytemnestra's crimes is for Agamemnon's son Orestes to erase his mother from the land and reclaim her title as the head of the city. Atrium House. Does this represent the old world idea of ​​“an eye for an eye,” by which justice is guided? rather than due process. It is this common belief that drives Orestes to commit matricide in the first place. However, in doing so, one draws the wrath of the Immortal Furies, who are the gods responsible for avenging human wrongs. The.