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Orestes By Euripides-Analytical Essay

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The actions of the play Orestes by Euripides occurred in Argos where the last two plays have been set as well. The play starts off a few of days after Orestes had killed his mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus with the help of his sister Elektra. Elektra starts off with another one of her long monologs explaining the situation that she and her brother are in along with the fact that their uncle Menelaus has come back with his wife, Helen, who is the cause of all the strife that her family has been going through. The reader then learns that Orestes and Elektra are awaiting whether or not they will be stoned for their actions against their mother and her lover. She goes on to explain that she hopes that Menelaus can help them because …show more content…

Ironically, unlike the previous three plays, this one ended happily and without any casualties. The main event that led to the actions in this play was the fact that Orestes came to Argos to carry out what prophesized to do which was to avenge his father and kill his mother, Clytemnestra. A common theme in these last two plays has been prophecy and the power of the gods had over humans during that time period. If Apollo did not prophesize for Orestes to kill his mother the actions in this play would have been very different. Although most believe that fate is fate and Clytemnestra would have died, either way, the Gods wanted the event to happen one way and the humans during that time had no choice but to obey. Orestes explain this well when talking to Menelaus on page 199 saying, “We are slaves to the gods. Whatever gods are,” here even humans know that in regards to the gods they simply must submit to their

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