The Theme of Family

The Theme of Family in the Oresteia and the Medea
Understanding Greek tragedy depends upon tracing the growth of characters and themes within the plays and how they help to highlight the greater significance of the work. A prominent theme discussed by the tragedians is that of family and is dominant in both the Oresteia and the Medea. The Oresteia centers on concepts of what family is and how obligations within a family transcend personal desires and dictate the life of individuals. The Medea on the other hand focuses upon the sanctity of familial bonds that must be cherished and how the family can be used to extract revenge and inflict pain upon a person. Both works share the idea that the ties within the family bring certain responsibilities that must be fulfilled at all costs and transgression of values and beliefs that construct familial promises is unforgiveable. The Oresteia begins upon the return of Agamemnon to Argos, a return that is short-lived. His death at the hands of his duplicitous wife follows short after. Agamemnon’s murder seems disturbing and out of place, at first. Yet when the chorus acquaints us with the history of his actions, the way that he criminally sacrificed his beloved daughter, the readers’ sympathy dissolves. What turns the sacrifice into Hubris is the way that he orders it to be done, the way that “you might lift a goat for sacrifice.” It is this insensitivity and detestable change in Agamemnon that changes the act from a following of the will of the God’s to one “reckless in fresh cruelty.” The sacrifice becomes an act of murder and his inability to uphold his responsibility of being an affectionate and caring father create the need for him to suffer for his actions. His almost bestial enjoyment of the death of his own daughter, and the fact he chooses the fruitfulness of his own life over hers is inconsistent with the principles that define family relationships. Thus, Agamemnon’s death serves as the first commentary on the