1. 1 The Aeneid by Virgil
2. 1 The Eumenides by Aeschylus
B. The Eumenides is the final story of the orestia and entails
the repercussions of Orestes' actions. As Orestes is tormented by the Erinyes
for killing his mother. He finds shelter at the new temple of Apollo in Delphi.
As the god cannot assist him directly, he sends Hermes to protect him on a
jorney to Athens. Before they leave, Hermes casts a drowsy spell on the Erinyes,
only for that to be soon dispelled by the ghost of Clytaemnestra waking them up
soon afterwards. The Erinyes catch up to him eventually and outside of Athens,
as Orestes prays on a supplicant to Athena, Athena soon intervenes and brings
eleven Athenians to join her as on a jury to judge Orestes' supplication. In the
trial Apollo is able to convince Athena that man is more important than a woman
in a marriage ie Athena was born without a mother by the hand of Zeus. In the
end all of the votes are cast and it ends up as a tie which results in
acquittal. In the end it is stated that mercy shall take precedence over
justice.
C.
Orestes: The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, Orestes was
sent into exile after his fathers death and, once reaching adulthood swore
revenge against Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. With his sister Electra he managed
to kill them both although having moral reservations about killing his mother.
After her death, he is hunted down by the Erinyes who are furies that avenge the
souls of wronged women. As he runs for a great amount of time, he is assisted by
Hermes and eventually arrives at Athens where Athena, puts him on trial for his
deeds. He is then acquited of his deeds and the furies end their
hunt.
Clytemnestra: The wife of Agamemnon. While it is not entirely
confirmed of her stance on her husband, she is seen to be an adulterous aspect
in the death of Agamemnon. Born from Leda and Tyndareus, she is mortal and other
than that he early life is considered a mystery. However, when Agamemnon leaves
for the Trojan war, the story splits. On one hand she becomes seduced by
Agamemnon's treacherous cousin Aegisthus, and is unaware that he shall kill him
on return. On the other hand she is frustrated with Agamemnon for his actions
including sacrificing their daughter as well a returning home with a concubine,
and plots alongside Aegisthus. In the second book, The Libation Bearers,
she appears to nonetheless feel guilt about her actions and asks for mercy from
her son Orestes, but is still killed regardless. Her involvement in
Eumenides is only that of a vengeful spirit who attempts to make sure
that the Furies do not get distracted in their hunt.
Athena: The god of mercy. She is the one who passes judgement on Orestes and votes for his acquittal. Her actions save him from the Furies and end the family lineage of being cursed from their actions. However, she required convincing as she is more reasoned and only wanted to pass what was deemed fair. By the end of the story she states that from then on out it shall be stated that mercy shall take precedence over justice. While she only has a slight part in the story she does set a major theme of mercy that closes it.
D. The Eumenides takes place in a myraid of location most of them being areas that house religious significance. As it begins in the temple of Apollo, it gives significance that this is a greatly new circumstance to be explored as well as stating that there is potential for a good ending for Orestes as Apollo is the sun god. the only other setting of Eumenides is Athens which could be seen as a homeland where mercy is given. This is where Athena both gives mercy to Orestes, but also purpose to the Furies by making them the protectors of Athens. From the start the Eumenides is given an optimistic view and no character that is alive is seen as a creature of malicious intent. The setting is completely different from the other two works and gives a much different tone.
E.
The Eumenides has the conflict of man v. man as Orestes
has to come before the gods to plead for his acquittal. However, there is also
an aspect of man v. nature as the furies are hunting him down, and as the gods
are the ones judging him, he has to rely on the powers that be to ensure his
acquittal.
H.
3. 1 The Iliad by Homer
4. 1 Lysistrata by Aristophanes
5. 3 The Odyssey by Homer
6. 1 The Orestia by Aeschylus
B. The Orestia is a greek tragedy that is a
trilogy of three stories: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and Eumenides. Each
pertains to a certain tragedy and despite being called a Greek tragedy has a
happy ending. It begins with Agamemnon and exists in the city of Troy. Agamemnon
is returning from his battle with the Trojans to his wife Clytemnestra, the
latter of which plotting the former's murder. The reason is that Clytemnestra
has been unhappy with her marriage ever since their daughter Iphigenia was
sacrificed as well as the fact that she has been cheating on Agamemnon with his
cousin Aegisthus who deems himself the rightful owner to the trone. The
situation gets worse as Agamemnon also brings an enslaved concubine from the war
named Cassandra to the home. After falling for a trick to walk into the house
over red carpet Agamemnon seals his fate to death, and Cassandra is cursed by
Apollo for rejecting Agamemnon's advances to see the grim futures ahead and yet
have nothing to stop them and is also doomed with Agamemnon. At the end of the
play they are both killed similar to the way an animal is killed and sacrificed
to the gods.
In the following production of The Libation Bearers, Agamemnon's son and
daughter; Orestes and Electra, feature. As Electra is sent by her mother to
purge her father's grave of the devil, she spots her brother's lock of hair on
the grave which was put there moments prior to her arrival by Orestes, along
with his cousin Pylades. She is able to figure out that he has been there
recently and they both end up seeing the ghost of Agamemnon tell them that it
was Clytemnestra who killed him. Disguising as travelers to get into the palace
Orestes and Pylades infiltrate the area and kill the usurper Aegisthus. As
Clytemnestra stands over Aegisthus, asking for Orestes to not kill him, Orestes
asks Pylades "Shall I be ashamed to kill my mother?" In the end though he does
kill her and the story ends while stating that the Erinyes shall haunt and
torture Orestes.
The Eumenides is the final story of the orestia and entails the repercussions
of Orestes' actions. As Orestes is tormented by the Erinyes for killing his
mother. He finds shelter at the new temple of Apollo in Delphi. As the god
cannot assist him directly, he sends Hermes to protect him on a jorney to
Athens. Before they leave, Hermes casts a drowsy spell on the Erinyes, only for
that to be soon dispelled by the ghost of Clytaemnestra waking them up soon
afterwards. The Erinyes catch up to him eventually and outside of Athens, as
Orestes prays on a supplicant to Athena, Athena soon intervenes and brings
eleven Athenians to join her as on a jury to judge Orestes' supplication. In the
trial Apollo is able to convince Athena that man is more important than a woman
in a marriage ie Athena was born without a mother by the hand of Zeus. In the
end all of the votes are cast and it ends up as a tie which results in
acquittal. In the end it is stated that mercy shall take precedence over
justice.
C. Agamemnon:
In Agamemnon the main character: Agamemon is a veteran from the
war against the Trojans and is the target of murder as he returns to his home
town of Troy by his wife Clytemnestra. As a boy however he grew up under a
vicious father who fed him his cousins after finding that his wife committed
adultery. This and other incidents have marred his family's history by means
such as rape, murder, incest, and other treachery. As such throughout
generations he and his family have incurred the gods' wrath and stil cause him
trouble even when he embarks on the Trojan War. Agamemnon continues the family
lineage and angers the gods via multiple methods by attacking sacred animals and
further incurs fellow wrath of man by appeasing them by sacrificing his daughter
Iphigenia. He continues to act treacherously in his methods to defeat Achilles
and even returns to Troy with a concubine to his wife. Angered by his actions he
is eventually killed by Clytemnestra despite his earlier complaints to try not
to invoke hubris.
Clytemnestra: The wife of Agamemnon. While it is not entirely
confirmed of her stance on her husband, she is seen to be an adulterous aspect
in the death of Agamemnon. Born from Leda and Tyndareus, she is mortal and other
than that he early life is considered a mystery. However, when Agamemnon leaves
for the Trojan war, the story splits. On one hand she becomes seduced by
Agamemnon's treacherous cousin Aegisthus, and is unaware that he shall kill him
on return. On the other hand she is frustrated with Agamemnon for his actions
including sacrificing their daughter as well a returning home with a concubine,
and plots alongside Aegisthus. In the second book, The Libation Bearers,
she appears to nonetheless feel guilt about her actions and asks for mercy from
her son Orestes, but is still killed regardless.
Aegisthus: Being the son of Thyestes and daughter of Pelopea, Aegisthus
desired vengeance upon his adopted father Atreus, for killing his real father
Thyestes. As Atreus did not know that Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes he still
cared for him as his real son. Eventually Aegisthis was successful in killing
Atreus and was later married to Clytemnestra after involving himself in the
death of Agamemnon. Later he ruled Troy alongside Clytemnestra for seven years
until Agamemnon's son, Orestes returned for revenge and killed him.
Orestes: The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, Orestes was sent into exile
after his fathers death and, once reaching adulthood swore revenge against
Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. With his sister Electra he managed to kill them both
although having moral reservations about killing his mother. After her death, he
is hunted down by the Erinyes who are furies that avenge the souls of wronged
women. As he runs for a great amount of time, he is assisted by Hermes and
eventually arrives at Athens where Athena, puts him on trial for his deeds. He
is then acquited of his deeds and the furies end their hunt.
D. The setting of the Orestia is in ancient Greece and takes
place in a time of war, or rather, end of a war. The main plot of the book
revolves around the curse of Atreus, whom has fathered a family that has
incurred the wrath of the gods with their actions. The land itself is mainly of
kingdoms and associates itself with vivid religion a great deal. Historically it
associates the stories of Greek Gods with the history of ancient Greece and
gives the story of how a family lives with both types of events of the story.
While the majority of the story takes place in the city of Troy, the main part
of it; the Eumenides, takes place across the country and while it still houses
cities for the most part, during the journey Orestes and Hermes travel through
trecherous regions that show off a more primal side to the location. However for
the most part it is described simply and is not given much depth which stands to
reason that the Orestia is more interested in the actions of man rather than the
area it is in.
E.
In Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and Eumenides, the
main type of conflict that arises is man v. man, despite being in different
forms.
In Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus plot to kill Agamemnon by
tricking him to enter his home in a certain manner that strokes his ego.
Agamemnon is hesitant to do such as he does not wish to invoke such hubris. In
the main part of the story they finally manage to get Agamemnon to succumb to
this deed and it becomes his downfall.
In The Libation Bearers, the main conflict is direct man v. man as
Orestes gets into a quest for vengeance for the death of his father. Both are
aware that one wants to kill the other once they are aware of each other, and
yet there is also an essence of man v self as Orestes decides whether or not he
shall kill his own mother.
The Eumenides once again has the conflict of man v. man as Orestes has
to come before the gods to plead for his acquittal. However, there is also an
aspect of man v. nature as the furies are hunting him down, and as the gods are
the ones judging him, he has to rely on the powers that be to ensure his
acquittal.
F.
In Agamemnon the main theme would be Oikos, or home. In the home, or
family there is great discontent, and as an appeal to irony creates the main
conflict in the work. As the family is obviously going through turmoil with
Clytemnestra planning the murder of Agamemnon, as well as he sacrificing his
daughter and returning with a concubine, it stands to reason that one does not
want to get too involved with that family's problems. It also shows as Agamemnon
is hesitant to enter the home in the matter that Clytemnestra attempts to make
him.
In The Libation Bearers the main theme would be genesis. As Orestes
and Electra learn of the death of Agamemnon as well as the cause of his death, a
plan is then made to overthrow the current regime by taking out the members of
the kingdom that have caused the controversy. As Orestes goes to kill both
Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, he considers whether or not is is best to kill his
mother after all. But regrdless he does and this self consideration gives way to
the genesis and gives the new generation the trials and tribulation to
handle.
Finally, in Eumenides, Judgement would be the major theme. As Orestes
has to be judged for his crimes against his mother, his acquittal states that
after he has been acquitted the curse of his family may as well be over, and for
future scenarios mercy shall take precedence over justice.
G.
The mask of Agamemnon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljDeqAXU-GQ A video that has archeological study on Troy to see the remains of the story and possibly character Agamemnon.
H. Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oresteia#Agamemnon
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/clytemnestra.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/aegisthus.html
http://www.rbhs.w-cook.k12.il.us/mancoff/agamemnon.jpg
7. 8 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
B. Jude the Obscure
The book Jude the obscure begins with the main character Jude Fawley
who has hopes and dreams of attending University of Christminster, but his past
of being an orphan raised by his aunt pushes him toward a career as a stone
mason. He is motivated by the motivations of the town schoolmaster, Richard
Phillotson, who left for Christminster when Jude was a child. However, Jude
falls in love with a young woman named Arabella; Jude is then tricked into
marrying Arabella, and cannot leave the village. As time passes on their
marriage goes bad and Arabella moves to Australia, Jude then wants to go back to
Christminster. Jude then meets his cousin Sue Bridehead and tries not to fall in
love with her. Jude decides to find a way for Sue to work for Phillotson in
order to keep her to stay in the town, but then finds out that the two are
engaged to be married. Once they got married Jude finds out Sue is not happy
with the marriage, she can no longer put up with the relationship and leaves her
husband for Jude. Jude and Sue decide to get divorced, but Sue does not want to
get remarried. Arabella begins to tell Jude that they have a son together in
Australia, and Jude asks to take him in. Sue and Jude become parents to the boy
and have two more children of their own. Jude becomes severely ill, and once he
recovers, he decides to go back to Christminster with his family. AS they arrive
back to Christminster they have trouble finding a place to stay because they’re
not married and Jude stays in a different room then Sue and the children. The
next morning Sue goes to Jude’s room and eats breakfast with him they return to
the lodging house to find that Jude’s son has hanged the other two children and
including himself. Sue begins to feel she has been punished by God for her
relationship with Jude, Sue then begins to go back to Phillotson, and Jude is
tricked into living with Arabella again, Jude dies soon later.
C.haracters
Jude Fawley- Jude is the hero and the main character of the book and his life
is connected to other characters in the story. Jude is the protagonist as an
ordinary working-class man, and struggling hard to realize that his dreams are
ruined by the social system. Jude is an outsider who is denied by the social
class. We first see Jude as a child at age eleven, hardworking, preserving
affectionate and, sensitive. As Jude grows older he begins to want everything
living creature living to suffer no matter what it is. Jude’s death at age
thirty tells you that he has been cursed by society, his death in Christminster
on Remembrance Day and his loneliness and desolation has a strange poignancy.
The reader is left with a feeling of bitterness.
Sue Bridehead- Sue is the villain of the book, but Jude sees Sue as charming,
lively, intelligent, interesting and attractive. The other side of Sues
personality is she is self-centered, she is wanting more than she is willing to
give up; she is outspoken but afraid to suit her actions into words, she wants
to be loved but is afraid of her emotions and desires. Jude has given herself
more freedom than she knows how to handle. She wants to
believe that she is free to establish a new sort of relationship to men, even as
she demands freedom to examine new ideas. But at the end she finds herself in
the role of sinner performing penance for her misconduct. As Jude says, they
were perhaps ahead of their time.
Arabella Donn- Arabella is the least ambitious, though what she wants she
pursuits with determination and creativity. Arabella is after a man who will
meet her needs that will provide the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
She is attractive in an exaggerated way, good-humored is common in her tastes
and interests. She is capable of understanding a good deal in the emotional life
of other people, especially women, as shown on several occasions with Sue.
Arabella never quite finds what she wants either. Jude's desires put her off
when they are first married, but after him Cartlett is obviously a poor
substitute, though she doesn't complain. She wants Jude again and gets him, but
she isn't satisfied, since he is past the point of being much good to her. She
has a self-interest that amounts to an instinct for survival, rather than the
self-interest of a Sue that is the same as pride. And, of course, she does
survive intact in a way the others don't. Though at the end of the novel she is
standing by Jude's coffin, Vilbert awaits her somewhere in the city.
I. Works cited
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/jude/summary.html
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmJude62.asp
Video and image
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxiu67DiuI
8. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
9. Bless Me by Ultima
10. Candied by Voltair
2. 1 The Eumenides by Aeschylus
B. The Eumenides is the final story of the orestia and entails
the repercussions of Orestes' actions. As Orestes is tormented by the Erinyes
for killing his mother. He finds shelter at the new temple of Apollo in Delphi.
As the god cannot assist him directly, he sends Hermes to protect him on a
jorney to Athens. Before they leave, Hermes casts a drowsy spell on the Erinyes,
only for that to be soon dispelled by the ghost of Clytaemnestra waking them up
soon afterwards. The Erinyes catch up to him eventually and outside of Athens,
as Orestes prays on a supplicant to Athena, Athena soon intervenes and brings
eleven Athenians to join her as on a jury to judge Orestes' supplication. In the
trial Apollo is able to convince Athena that man is more important than a woman
in a marriage ie Athena was born without a mother by the hand of Zeus. In the
end all of the votes are cast and it ends up as a tie which results in
acquittal. In the end it is stated that mercy shall take precedence over
justice.
C.
Orestes: The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, Orestes was
sent into exile after his fathers death and, once reaching adulthood swore
revenge against Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. With his sister Electra he managed
to kill them both although having moral reservations about killing his mother.
After her death, he is hunted down by the Erinyes who are furies that avenge the
souls of wronged women. As he runs for a great amount of time, he is assisted by
Hermes and eventually arrives at Athens where Athena, puts him on trial for his
deeds. He is then acquited of his deeds and the furies end their
hunt.
Clytemnestra: The wife of Agamemnon. While it is not entirely
confirmed of her stance on her husband, she is seen to be an adulterous aspect
in the death of Agamemnon. Born from Leda and Tyndareus, she is mortal and other
than that he early life is considered a mystery. However, when Agamemnon leaves
for the Trojan war, the story splits. On one hand she becomes seduced by
Agamemnon's treacherous cousin Aegisthus, and is unaware that he shall kill him
on return. On the other hand she is frustrated with Agamemnon for his actions
including sacrificing their daughter as well a returning home with a concubine,
and plots alongside Aegisthus. In the second book, The Libation Bearers,
she appears to nonetheless feel guilt about her actions and asks for mercy from
her son Orestes, but is still killed regardless. Her involvement in
Eumenides is only that of a vengeful spirit who attempts to make sure
that the Furies do not get distracted in their hunt.
Athena: The god of mercy. She is the one who passes judgement on Orestes and votes for his acquittal. Her actions save him from the Furies and end the family lineage of being cursed from their actions. However, she required convincing as she is more reasoned and only wanted to pass what was deemed fair. By the end of the story she states that from then on out it shall be stated that mercy shall take precedence over justice. While she only has a slight part in the story she does set a major theme of mercy that closes it.
D. The Eumenides takes place in a myraid of location most of them being areas that house religious significance. As it begins in the temple of Apollo, it gives significance that this is a greatly new circumstance to be explored as well as stating that there is potential for a good ending for Orestes as Apollo is the sun god. the only other setting of Eumenides is Athens which could be seen as a homeland where mercy is given. This is where Athena both gives mercy to Orestes, but also purpose to the Furies by making them the protectors of Athens. From the start the Eumenides is given an optimistic view and no character that is alive is seen as a creature of malicious intent. The setting is completely different from the other two works and gives a much different tone.
E.
The Eumenides has the conflict of man v. man as Orestes
has to come before the gods to plead for his acquittal. However, there is also
an aspect of man v. nature as the furies are hunting him down, and as the gods
are the ones judging him, he has to rely on the powers that be to ensure his
acquittal.
H.
3. 1 The Iliad by Homer
4. 1 Lysistrata by Aristophanes
5. 3 The Odyssey by Homer
6. 1 The Orestia by Aeschylus
B. The Orestia is a greek tragedy that is a
trilogy of three stories: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and Eumenides. Each
pertains to a certain tragedy and despite being called a Greek tragedy has a
happy ending. It begins with Agamemnon and exists in the city of Troy. Agamemnon
is returning from his battle with the Trojans to his wife Clytemnestra, the
latter of which plotting the former's murder. The reason is that Clytemnestra
has been unhappy with her marriage ever since their daughter Iphigenia was
sacrificed as well as the fact that she has been cheating on Agamemnon with his
cousin Aegisthus who deems himself the rightful owner to the trone. The
situation gets worse as Agamemnon also brings an enslaved concubine from the war
named Cassandra to the home. After falling for a trick to walk into the house
over red carpet Agamemnon seals his fate to death, and Cassandra is cursed by
Apollo for rejecting Agamemnon's advances to see the grim futures ahead and yet
have nothing to stop them and is also doomed with Agamemnon. At the end of the
play they are both killed similar to the way an animal is killed and sacrificed
to the gods.
In the following production of The Libation Bearers, Agamemnon's son and
daughter; Orestes and Electra, feature. As Electra is sent by her mother to
purge her father's grave of the devil, she spots her brother's lock of hair on
the grave which was put there moments prior to her arrival by Orestes, along
with his cousin Pylades. She is able to figure out that he has been there
recently and they both end up seeing the ghost of Agamemnon tell them that it
was Clytemnestra who killed him. Disguising as travelers to get into the palace
Orestes and Pylades infiltrate the area and kill the usurper Aegisthus. As
Clytemnestra stands over Aegisthus, asking for Orestes to not kill him, Orestes
asks Pylades "Shall I be ashamed to kill my mother?" In the end though he does
kill her and the story ends while stating that the Erinyes shall haunt and
torture Orestes.
The Eumenides is the final story of the orestia and entails the repercussions
of Orestes' actions. As Orestes is tormented by the Erinyes for killing his
mother. He finds shelter at the new temple of Apollo in Delphi. As the god
cannot assist him directly, he sends Hermes to protect him on a jorney to
Athens. Before they leave, Hermes casts a drowsy spell on the Erinyes, only for
that to be soon dispelled by the ghost of Clytaemnestra waking them up soon
afterwards. The Erinyes catch up to him eventually and outside of Athens, as
Orestes prays on a supplicant to Athena, Athena soon intervenes and brings
eleven Athenians to join her as on a jury to judge Orestes' supplication. In the
trial Apollo is able to convince Athena that man is more important than a woman
in a marriage ie Athena was born without a mother by the hand of Zeus. In the
end all of the votes are cast and it ends up as a tie which results in
acquittal. In the end it is stated that mercy shall take precedence over
justice.
C. Agamemnon:
In Agamemnon the main character: Agamemon is a veteran from the
war against the Trojans and is the target of murder as he returns to his home
town of Troy by his wife Clytemnestra. As a boy however he grew up under a
vicious father who fed him his cousins after finding that his wife committed
adultery. This and other incidents have marred his family's history by means
such as rape, murder, incest, and other treachery. As such throughout
generations he and his family have incurred the gods' wrath and stil cause him
trouble even when he embarks on the Trojan War. Agamemnon continues the family
lineage and angers the gods via multiple methods by attacking sacred animals and
further incurs fellow wrath of man by appeasing them by sacrificing his daughter
Iphigenia. He continues to act treacherously in his methods to defeat Achilles
and even returns to Troy with a concubine to his wife. Angered by his actions he
is eventually killed by Clytemnestra despite his earlier complaints to try not
to invoke hubris.
Clytemnestra: The wife of Agamemnon. While it is not entirely
confirmed of her stance on her husband, she is seen to be an adulterous aspect
in the death of Agamemnon. Born from Leda and Tyndareus, she is mortal and other
than that he early life is considered a mystery. However, when Agamemnon leaves
for the Trojan war, the story splits. On one hand she becomes seduced by
Agamemnon's treacherous cousin Aegisthus, and is unaware that he shall kill him
on return. On the other hand she is frustrated with Agamemnon for his actions
including sacrificing their daughter as well a returning home with a concubine,
and plots alongside Aegisthus. In the second book, The Libation Bearers,
she appears to nonetheless feel guilt about her actions and asks for mercy from
her son Orestes, but is still killed regardless.
Aegisthus: Being the son of Thyestes and daughter of Pelopea, Aegisthus
desired vengeance upon his adopted father Atreus, for killing his real father
Thyestes. As Atreus did not know that Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes he still
cared for him as his real son. Eventually Aegisthis was successful in killing
Atreus and was later married to Clytemnestra after involving himself in the
death of Agamemnon. Later he ruled Troy alongside Clytemnestra for seven years
until Agamemnon's son, Orestes returned for revenge and killed him.
Orestes: The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, Orestes was sent into exile
after his fathers death and, once reaching adulthood swore revenge against
Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. With his sister Electra he managed to kill them both
although having moral reservations about killing his mother. After her death, he
is hunted down by the Erinyes who are furies that avenge the souls of wronged
women. As he runs for a great amount of time, he is assisted by Hermes and
eventually arrives at Athens where Athena, puts him on trial for his deeds. He
is then acquited of his deeds and the furies end their hunt.
D. The setting of the Orestia is in ancient Greece and takes
place in a time of war, or rather, end of a war. The main plot of the book
revolves around the curse of Atreus, whom has fathered a family that has
incurred the wrath of the gods with their actions. The land itself is mainly of
kingdoms and associates itself with vivid religion a great deal. Historically it
associates the stories of Greek Gods with the history of ancient Greece and
gives the story of how a family lives with both types of events of the story.
While the majority of the story takes place in the city of Troy, the main part
of it; the Eumenides, takes place across the country and while it still houses
cities for the most part, during the journey Orestes and Hermes travel through
trecherous regions that show off a more primal side to the location. However for
the most part it is described simply and is not given much depth which stands to
reason that the Orestia is more interested in the actions of man rather than the
area it is in.
E.
In Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and Eumenides, the
main type of conflict that arises is man v. man, despite being in different
forms.
In Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus plot to kill Agamemnon by
tricking him to enter his home in a certain manner that strokes his ego.
Agamemnon is hesitant to do such as he does not wish to invoke such hubris. In
the main part of the story they finally manage to get Agamemnon to succumb to
this deed and it becomes his downfall.
In The Libation Bearers, the main conflict is direct man v. man as
Orestes gets into a quest for vengeance for the death of his father. Both are
aware that one wants to kill the other once they are aware of each other, and
yet there is also an essence of man v self as Orestes decides whether or not he
shall kill his own mother.
The Eumenides once again has the conflict of man v. man as Orestes has
to come before the gods to plead for his acquittal. However, there is also an
aspect of man v. nature as the furies are hunting him down, and as the gods are
the ones judging him, he has to rely on the powers that be to ensure his
acquittal.
F.
In Agamemnon the main theme would be Oikos, or home. In the home, or
family there is great discontent, and as an appeal to irony creates the main
conflict in the work. As the family is obviously going through turmoil with
Clytemnestra planning the murder of Agamemnon, as well as he sacrificing his
daughter and returning with a concubine, it stands to reason that one does not
want to get too involved with that family's problems. It also shows as Agamemnon
is hesitant to enter the home in the matter that Clytemnestra attempts to make
him.
In The Libation Bearers the main theme would be genesis. As Orestes
and Electra learn of the death of Agamemnon as well as the cause of his death, a
plan is then made to overthrow the current regime by taking out the members of
the kingdom that have caused the controversy. As Orestes goes to kill both
Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, he considers whether or not is is best to kill his
mother after all. But regrdless he does and this self consideration gives way to
the genesis and gives the new generation the trials and tribulation to
handle.
Finally, in Eumenides, Judgement would be the major theme. As Orestes
has to be judged for his crimes against his mother, his acquittal states that
after he has been acquitted the curse of his family may as well be over, and for
future scenarios mercy shall take precedence over justice.
G.
The mask of Agamemnon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljDeqAXU-GQ A video that has archeological study on Troy to see the remains of the story and possibly character Agamemnon.
H. Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oresteia#Agamemnon
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/clytemnestra.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/aegisthus.html
http://www.rbhs.w-cook.k12.il.us/mancoff/agamemnon.jpg
7. 8 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
B. Jude the Obscure
The book Jude the obscure begins with the main character Jude Fawley
who has hopes and dreams of attending University of Christminster, but his past
of being an orphan raised by his aunt pushes him toward a career as a stone
mason. He is motivated by the motivations of the town schoolmaster, Richard
Phillotson, who left for Christminster when Jude was a child. However, Jude
falls in love with a young woman named Arabella; Jude is then tricked into
marrying Arabella, and cannot leave the village. As time passes on their
marriage goes bad and Arabella moves to Australia, Jude then wants to go back to
Christminster. Jude then meets his cousin Sue Bridehead and tries not to fall in
love with her. Jude decides to find a way for Sue to work for Phillotson in
order to keep her to stay in the town, but then finds out that the two are
engaged to be married. Once they got married Jude finds out Sue is not happy
with the marriage, she can no longer put up with the relationship and leaves her
husband for Jude. Jude and Sue decide to get divorced, but Sue does not want to
get remarried. Arabella begins to tell Jude that they have a son together in
Australia, and Jude asks to take him in. Sue and Jude become parents to the boy
and have two more children of their own. Jude becomes severely ill, and once he
recovers, he decides to go back to Christminster with his family. AS they arrive
back to Christminster they have trouble finding a place to stay because they’re
not married and Jude stays in a different room then Sue and the children. The
next morning Sue goes to Jude’s room and eats breakfast with him they return to
the lodging house to find that Jude’s son has hanged the other two children and
including himself. Sue begins to feel she has been punished by God for her
relationship with Jude, Sue then begins to go back to Phillotson, and Jude is
tricked into living with Arabella again, Jude dies soon later.
C.haracters
Jude Fawley- Jude is the hero and the main character of the book and his life
is connected to other characters in the story. Jude is the protagonist as an
ordinary working-class man, and struggling hard to realize that his dreams are
ruined by the social system. Jude is an outsider who is denied by the social
class. We first see Jude as a child at age eleven, hardworking, preserving
affectionate and, sensitive. As Jude grows older he begins to want everything
living creature living to suffer no matter what it is. Jude’s death at age
thirty tells you that he has been cursed by society, his death in Christminster
on Remembrance Day and his loneliness and desolation has a strange poignancy.
The reader is left with a feeling of bitterness.
Sue Bridehead- Sue is the villain of the book, but Jude sees Sue as charming,
lively, intelligent, interesting and attractive. The other side of Sues
personality is she is self-centered, she is wanting more than she is willing to
give up; she is outspoken but afraid to suit her actions into words, she wants
to be loved but is afraid of her emotions and desires. Jude has given herself
more freedom than she knows how to handle. She wants to
believe that she is free to establish a new sort of relationship to men, even as
she demands freedom to examine new ideas. But at the end she finds herself in
the role of sinner performing penance for her misconduct. As Jude says, they
were perhaps ahead of their time.
Arabella Donn- Arabella is the least ambitious, though what she wants she
pursuits with determination and creativity. Arabella is after a man who will
meet her needs that will provide the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
She is attractive in an exaggerated way, good-humored is common in her tastes
and interests. She is capable of understanding a good deal in the emotional life
of other people, especially women, as shown on several occasions with Sue.
Arabella never quite finds what she wants either. Jude's desires put her off
when they are first married, but after him Cartlett is obviously a poor
substitute, though she doesn't complain. She wants Jude again and gets him, but
she isn't satisfied, since he is past the point of being much good to her. She
has a self-interest that amounts to an instinct for survival, rather than the
self-interest of a Sue that is the same as pride. And, of course, she does
survive intact in a way the others don't. Though at the end of the novel she is
standing by Jude's coffin, Vilbert awaits her somewhere in the city.
I. Works cited
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/jude/summary.html
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmJude62.asp
Video and image
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxiu67DiuI
8. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
9. Bless Me by Ultima
10. Candied by Voltair