Questions: Write about the gods and goddesses of Aeschylus.
Introduction
Aeschylus was one of the most famous playwrights and top tragic poets of ancient Greece, including Sophocles and Euripides. Around 458 BC, he wrote a three-part play known as the Oresteia or Trilogy. The first play of the Orestia or Trilogy was “Agamemnon” followed by “The Libation Bearers” and the third play was “Eumenides”. In most dramas of Orestia or Trilogy, the main themes that can be noticed especially are justice and revenge, the evolution of personal revenge in a civilized court system, infidelity and blasphemy, and especially the role of gods and goddesses in human life.
The introduction of gods and goddesses
The gods and goddesses of ancient Greece played a significant role in the lives of the characters because they had the power to control and influence. These gods and goddesses became such an important element of the story that the story would be lacking without them. They are the main elements of Greek mythology. Many have acknowledged these Olympian gods and goddesses by names – Zeus, their leader, Hera, Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Artemis, Hades, Demeter, Dionysus, and many others.
Exchanging nature
In the play entitled “Agamemnon”, King Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis in order to obtain the goddess’s grace to provide the air which he needs for the safety of his journey to the city of Troy. From here, one can notice that a person agrees to sacrifice a loved one just to please these deities. Clytemnestra, on the other hand, goes to the palace and lights her own sacrificial fire, and begins to pray so that the Greeks can be victorious in the Trojan war and never fail to honor the gods of Troy. The chorus offers a kind of prayer that thanks Zeus for this victory but the chorus also reminds the audience that those who have committed heinous crimes or disobeyed their orders would be punished.
Violators of the law
The gods of Greek mythology are known to be as inconsistent and deceptive as their human counterparts. They themselves violated the law which they commanded the people to obey. For example, they often disbelieve. They preached violence and showed extra pride. To understand this method, one must understand the role of Artemis. First, she was a known protector of wild animals while also serving as the patron deity of hunters. She herself was a huntress. Artemis thus expresses a lack of sympathy for two humans: a hunter, King Agamemnon, and a virgin, Iphigenia. In Agamemnon, Aeschylus does not deal with the subject of deception in public, but he does mention it intentionally in the choral song.
Conclusion
Greek dramas like Orestia depict one of the most notable aspects of Greek literature, the role of the gods and goddesses. It is characteristic of the Greek people to be religious because of their belief in various deities. These gods shaped their culture and beliefs.
