Overflowing with death, destruction, and despair, the plots of Greek tragedies are often considered the darkest theatrical genre. However, it is this same mournful theme that appears in one of the best-known works of ancient Greece, Aeschylus' Oresteia, which strives to represent a distant past not only for today's readers today but for the author himself. Beginning with the sacrificial killing of Iphigenia, the Oresteia recounts a brutal cycle of vengeance and murder, ending only at the direction of the gods who help restore order and justice to the city of Argos. Illustrating the human inability to control one's emotions, Aeschylus uses the chorus and theatrical dialogue typical of a tragedy to highlight the disastrous consequences of lust, rage, and the thirst for honor. Divided into a trilogy of three plays, the stories of Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, and the Furies depict the barbarity and violence of human nature and our inability as mortals to break the cycle. However, upon close examination of the trilogy, the importance of tragedy as a form of writing begins to shine through, revealing its role as a work that not only tells the story of the Greek transition to democracy, but also subtly comments on the culture of The Greeks contemporary with Aeschylus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay After the murders of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and their two lovers, the gods realize the propensity of mortals to continue in a series endless vicious actions. Seeing the devastation this could mean for Greek society, the gods take matters into their own hands, fearing that if humanity allows itself to continue down the path of violence, there will be no turning back. In establishing laws to keep society safe, Athena knows that for her efforts to be effective, "citizens must obey the law [without] deviation" because "pure water can never be drawn once the well is clogged,” suggesting that the Greek people must be willing to accept the new democracy for it to work (Furies, 694-696). In this way, it is up to the Greek government to establish laws and moral guidelines to restrict the wrongdoing of its people so that its society is not thrown into turmoil. Noting her success in creating a system of justice during the trial of Orestes, Athena highlights the benefits of this newly formed democracy, saying she sees "a great gain for this city, kind spirits for kind spirits" , when the laws “will direct this land, [their] city, in the path of justice” and bring peace, compassion and goodness into the hearts of the people (Furies, 991-995). Because human nature cannot control itself, the gods are forced to establish a government to do it for them – for without restraint, the darkness of humanity can take over and the cycle of tragedy continues. The force of human emotion that drives men and women to action is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the murders of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, proving that no amount of logical thought can deter a mind charged with 'emotion. Through the use of dialogue rather than narration, Aeschylus displays his characters' thoughts and feelings out in the open, allowing the narrative of each line to separate the Oresteia as a tragedy, distinct from epic or comedy . Filled with anger and sadness at the loss of her daughter, Clytemnestra explains to the entire audience the reasons justifying the murderof her husband: was it not he who used treason and who caused the ruin of this House? Yes, he suffered, act for act, for what he did to our daughter Iphigenia, to his flesh and blood! (Agamemnon, 1522-1526) Exposing his thoughts to the entire audience, Aeschylus highlights the crazy thinking of humans under great stress. Rather than thinking clearly about the consequences she might face for murdering her royal husband, Clytemnestra's grief over the loss of her daughter blinded her to reason, allowing her to justify an action that would otherwise seem wrong. Instead of describing the characters and their actions using a narrator, the Oresteia employs formal dialogue throughout each episode. the plays, broadcasting the emotions of each actor, establishing in the audience classic attachments to tragedy. Urging the reader to pity, Aeschylus depicts a heartbroken Orestes, stunned by the death of Agamemnon. After hearing of his mother's crimes, an enraged Orestes feels compelled to avenge his father's murder and is even encouraged by Apollo and the Chorus, the latter proclaiming: "A bloody blow pays a bloody blow." “He who does so suffers,” goes the thrice-old saying, which advocates that Orestes obtain justice for his father's death, even suggesting that his murderer will suffer for three generations to come (Libation Bearers, 311-313). It is the complete absence of tacit text in the Oresteia that distinguishes it as a tragedy, showing that, just as Clytemnestra felt compelled to retaliate for the murder of her daughter, Orestes was driven by his emotions and the influence of others to take revenge for the murder of Agamemnon. death. In this way, Aeschylus highlights the violent tendencies of human nature, emphasizing not only that they occur in an endless cycle, but also that, without the intervention of the gods, human beings have no power to stop them. As the murders of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra show, revenge as a justification for murder only leads to more death and destruction, because every victim has someone to avenge their death. As such, the bloodshed becomes an endless loop, which humanity knows only the gods can break. Continuing to define his work as a tragedy, Aeschylus uses a chorus present in each play to comment on the action of the story, expressing his opinion in all situations. After learning of Clytemnestra's actions, the chorus declares that she placed a curse on her family that would last for generations to come. Despite Clytemnestra's belief that the murder was justified, the chorus knew what was coming: But while Zeus sits on the throne, the evildoer suffers, it is sacred law. Can the descendants of this curse be driven from the House, or is this family bent on its own destruction? (Agamemnon, 1563-1566), thus recognizing that bad deeds do not go unpunished and that people's actions will always have consequences that must be paid for. Embodying the character of the Furies, goddess of the world who punish those who commit crimes against the natural order of the world, the Chorus appears in Libation Bearers to highlight the power of the gods, remarking on Orestes' fear, "what mortal n 'Isn't terrified.' , seized with fear and horror to hear our sacred law determined by the decree of Destiny? The gods cede this right, it is our secular prerogative” (Furies, 389-394). In doing so, the chorus of Agamemnon and the Furies illustrates the cycle of violence and the human inability to influence it, extrapolating the power of the gods and their influence on traditional Greek society. But it is not only the devices and techniques that Aeschylus uses that make his.