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The Imbalance Power between Male and Female

In Aeschylus’s The Eumenides, the author talks about the struggle of male power

and female power against each other. Orestes, son of Agamemnon and Clytaemestra kills

his own mother to avenge his father’s death. The Furies, agents of justice side with

Clytaemestra and represent female power and appear to punish Orestes for the crime of

killing his mother. On the other hand, Apollo, son of Zeus stands for male power and

commands Orestes to commit the matricide. He is the proponent of Orestes against the

Furies. The arguments between Apollo and the Furies reveal the struggle of two gender

powers against one another. The final judgment that Orestes is a free and innocent man

reinforces the notion that male power and female power are imbalanced. Male power is

always seen as correct and right. Even though female holds their power, it is secondary to

male-dominated order.

The notion that male power and female power are imbalanced is revealed at the

very beginning of the play. Even though Orestes has sinned, he is the rightful ruler of

Argos. Clytaemestra also has sinned. However, no matter what her justifications are, her

actions upset the right order of the world when she tries to be the ruler. Therefore, after

Clytaemestra is murdered, her ghost wants to gain justice by getting revenge against her

son, Orestes. As Clytaemestra says to the Furies, “You, blast him on with your gory

breath, the fire of your vitals- wither him, after him, one last foray- waste him, burn him

out” (583). Clytaemestra’s obsession with punishing her son and making her son suffer

horribly reveals her angry attitude towards the murderer. Clytaemestra and Orestes are

both murderers. However, Orestes does not get his punishment, but Clytaemestra suffers

greatly even after she is dead. As she describes, “I wander in disgrace, I feel the guilt, I
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tell you, withering guilt from all the outraged dead. But I suffered too, terribly, from dear

ones, and none of my spirits rages to avenge me” (582). This quote reveals that she is

suffering and condemned among the dead.

Female are described and portrayed in many different shapes. For instance, the

Pythia is the priestess of Apollo and recounts the history of Apollo’s temple. The Furies

side with Clytaemestra and represent the female, which is violent and irrational. On the

other hand, Apollo sides with Orestes and is the symbol for the male, which is rational

and civilized. He is a contrast to the Furies, who are always screaming. They are also

brutal and physically repulsive. As Pythia describes them, “These have no wings, I

looked. But black they are, and so repulsive. Their heavy, rasping breathing makes me

cringe. And their eyes ooze a discharge, sickening, and what they war-to flaunt that at the

gods, the idols, sacrilege! Even in the homes of men” (580). This reveals the physical

appearance of the Furies is ugly, and the sight of them disgusts Pythia. They are also

disgusting to Apollo. As he says, “They disgust me. These gray, ancient children never

touched by god, man, or beast-the eternal virgins. Born for destruction only, the dark pit,

they range the bowels of Earth, the world of death, loathed by men and the gods who old

Olympus” (581). This reinforces the notion that the Furies are terrifying looking.

Apollo is a contrast to the Furies. He is a one of the Olympians and a male god of

rationality. As Pythia honors Apollo, “…he marched, and the people lined his way to

cover him with praise, led by Delphos, lord, helm of the land, and Zeus inspired his mind

with the prophet’s skill, with godhead, made him fourth in the dynasty of seers to mount

his throne, but it is Zeus that Apollo speaks for, Father Zeus” (579). Apollo is cast as

noble and modern, and the Furies are cast as outcasts and primal. In addition, the Furies
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are ugly, cruel, female creatures of revenge. The Furies are like Clytaemestra, who

constantly seeks violence. At first, she kills Agamemnon, her own husband to revenge the

killing of their daughter. Then, Clytaemestra’s ghost seeks revenge against her own son.

Therefore, one of the shapes females are cast is creatures of violence and revenge in the

play.

The countered arguments Apollo and the Furies provide in the temple about

Orestes’ murder reveal that male power and female power struggle against each other. If

Orestes is found guilty, theoretically, the power of male is undermined. Simultaneously,

the power of female is raised. The Furies’ argument is that murder committed against one

who is blood related is unforgivable. As they say, “Matricides: we drive them from their

houses. [The wife who strikes her husband down] would not destroy one’s flesh and

blood” (585). This quote demonstrates that the Furies emphasizes on the importance and

sacredness of kindred blood because it is the most basic link between a child and parent.

Apollo argues that the bond of marriage is more sacred, therefore Orestes should be

innocent. As he says, “Marriage of man and wife is Fate itself, stronger than oaths, and

Justice guards its life. But if one destroys the other and you relent-no revenge, not a

glance in anger- then I say your manhunt of Orestes is unjust” (585). This quote states

that Apollo emphasizes the importance and sacredness of the marriage bond because

marriage is social and relates to society. The way of society is that male are superior.

Orestes and the Furies bring their arguments to a judge; they want Athene,

daughter of Zeus and god of wisdom, to decide the case for them. Orestes defends his

own character and explains that Apollo has purified his blood. As he says, “The blood

sleeps; it is fading on my hands, the stain of mother’s murder washing clean. It was still
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fresh at the god’s hearth. Apollo killed the swine and the purges drove it off…I lived with,

and I left them all unharmed” (587). He asks Athene to protect him. Athene also listens to

the grievances of the Furies and acknowledges the position of the Furies. As they say,

“The mother’s blood that wets the ground, you can never bring it back, dear god, the

Earth drinks, and the running life is gone. You’ll give me blood for blood, you must”

(586). The case is difficult for her to judge. Athene decides to call for a group of men to

judge Orestes’ case. At this point, she believes that a group of people will make better

judgment than one person alone. Her choice also reflects democracy of men in society.

The trial proceeds again when Athene comes back with the jury of twelve citizens

and a herald. The Furies question Orestes about his mother’s murder. They say that

Orestes is guiltier because he kills someone of the same blood as himself. The Furies say

to Orestes, “The blood of the man she killed was not her own. How could she breed you

in her body, murderer? Disclaim your mother’s blood? She gave you life” (595). Apollo

defends Orestes by saying that the father is the only true parent. A person can have a

father and no mother. As Apollo demonstrates, “The woman you call the mother of the

child is not the parent, just a nurse of the seed, the new-sown seed that grows and swells

inside her. The man is the source of life-the one who mounts. She, like a stranger for a

stranger, keeps the shoot alive unless god hurts the roots” (597). He proves his idea by

pointing out to Athene, who is born from her father’s skull instead of her mother’s womb.

As he says, “I give you proof that all I say is true. The father can father forth without a

mother. Here she stands our living witness. Look- child sprung full-blown from

Olympian Zeus; never bred in the darkness of the womb but such a stock no goddess

could conceive” (597).

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Apollo and the Furies are battling in the trial, even before the trial took place.

Each of them presents different forces and things. Apollo represents Orestes, more

importantly, masculine strengths. On the other hand, the Furies represents Clytaemestra’s

ghost, more importantly, the feminine strengths. When the Furies give their arguments,

they are always yelling, shouting, and repeating themselves. They believe in their own

way of justice. When a man commits sin, such as matricide, they think the man must be

brutally punished. Their attitude reflects that the Furies and the female are violent and

uncivilized. However, even though Apollo’s argument about a father’s rights is not very

scientific, he manages his argument in a coherent way. This reflects that Apollo and all

men are rational and civilized. Their arguments are significant because the jurors’

decisions over Orestes’ fate are based on the final verdict.

Athene, daughter of Zeus, sides with men even though she is a woman. When the

jurors are tied, she announces that Orestes is free. Athene declares, “I will cast my lot for

you. No mother gave me birth. I honor male, in all things but marriage. Yes, with all my

heart I am my Father’s child. I cannot set more store by the woman’s death-she killed her

husband, guardian of their house. Even if the vote is equal, Orestes wins” (599). This

quotation reflects that Athene favors the male more than female. This again show that the

balance between male and female power. Athene’s decision makes the masculine power

more superior than the feminine’s. This case will also set a precedent for future cases.

Even though Orestes had sinned for murdering his own mother, he is still the rightful

king of Argos. This reflects that male power is always right and correct. On the other

hand, even though Clytaemestra has reasons why she kills her husband, Agamemnon, she
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upsets the right order of the world when she tries to take the throne. This reflects that one

of the shapes of female power is always wrong and upsetting.