Meditation 4 2-21-07
Let’s just come out with it, the Greeks confuse me. I understand the plays we have been reading but all I can think is, why? So here is what I don’t get- like I mentioned in class, why is Orestes murder considered a blood crime by not Clytemnestra’s or Agamemnon’s? I mean Agamemnon killed his own daughter, doesn’t that make it a blood crime, I can understand Clytemnestra’s story, but still didn’t she kill her husband? Shouldn’t she get some sort of punishment for that and well frankly shouldn’t Agamemnon have gotten some sort of punishment for killing his daughter? And on top of all that, if Clytemnestra’s murder was foretold- did Orestes have a choice, is it really his fault he was destined to kill her? I definitely agree with Athena’s choice to set him free on that accord- he was only doing what he was commanded to do by the God’s and well in Euripides, his sister. I can’t see why his murder was made out to be so much of a bigger deal than the rest when he had the most justification from the gods. And what is up with Euripides retelling Sophocles story of Electra, if the ancient Greeks believed that these stories were what was true of the gods and their lives, then wouldn’t Euripides have rewritten history? I can see a retelling and maybe a different version that he has heard about Electra meeting her brother again and recognizing him for the first time. But what about the rest of the story, I mean, crucial things change- like who tells Orestes to kill his mother and how he does it, and there is more background to the characters and Euripides goes further into detail as to what happens to the characters after the murder is committed. I’m not gunna lie, after reading all of these plays I can’t figure out why there are so many differences in the same version, or why they aren’t consistent within the stories. There is so much history within these stories that I don’t understand and I don’t see how people could learn and remember the stories if they are not the same every time they are told. I think it would help if I brushed up a bit on my Greek history, but even still I feel like there are so many little things that are easily overlooked and make it hard to understand while reading, let alone in an amphitheatre of 40,000 people. Greek tragedies confuse me- that’s really all I know after reading both Electras.
posted by Ann @ 1:56 AM
3 Comments:
Actually, Agamemnon murduring his daughter IS considered a blood crime. And he did get punishment, from Clytemnestra... she killed him. And for her crime of murder? Well let's not forget how Orestes killed Clytemnestra. To the Greeks, this IS justice. But let's also keep in mind that this is a play. In real life, people do not normally go around murdering other people. But in movies it seems to happen quite frequently, without remorse. These Greek tragedies work the same way.
And the whole confusion about the Greek plays? I completely empathize with you. But if I recall, we still do that today. Have you ever seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I bet you have to ask "Which one?". People today often have opinions as to which version is better also. Why the hell was the same guy all the Oompa Loompas? That's not the way it was ORIGINALLY done. I'm sure similar things were talked about and discussed back in the Greece's day.
Haha, you sound like me when I was reading these! I had such a hard time understanding a lot of what you questioned as well. I think a lot of what we don't understand has to do with the laws of their time - the different punishments for different types of murder, etc. I think it's just as important to acknoledge these differences and the things we don't understand as it is to understand them - which we may never be able to do, since we don't know too much about their culture at the time these plays were written.
I admire your willingness to admit your utter confusion with Greek tragedies. They can be a little difficult to grasp at times considering that their culture was drastically different than our own. Perhaps, it would help you to go back and focus on what you are not confused about. This might also prevent your reader from feeling boggled down by all the huge questions you ask. The retelling of these stories does not really strike me as odd. Let us not forget about our own Judeo-Christian tradition (two very different creation stories, etc.). I think the differences are what make these plays so intensely interesting. I like how you bring up the fact that in Euripides version Electra kind of convinces Orestes to murder Clytemnestra. It would be interesting to see you elaborate on what this might say about Euripides and the community that this story was being presented to.
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