Orestes Honors His Father

In Aeschylus' great trilogy the Oresteia, the young Orestes faced an impossible dilemma: his mother Clytemnestra had murdered his father Agamemnon and usurped the throne of Argos. According to the code of honor binding ancient Greek families, Orestes was duty-bound to avenge his father's death—to honor his father's memory and restore justice by punishing the murderer. Yet the murderer was his mother, creating a terrible conflict between filial piety toward both parents. Orestes's choice to honor his father by pursuing vengeance against his mother exemplifies observance—the virtue of faithfully fulfilling the duties and obligations that bind families together. When the Oracle at Delphi commanded him to avenge Agamemnon's death, Orestes recognized this as expressing the will of the gods themselves. Though murdering his mother would ordinarily be the most heinous crime imaginable, his duty to observe the requirements of family honor and filial piety toward his murdered father demanded it. Aeschylus emphasizes that Orestes did not pursue this terrible course lightly. He was tormented by the conflicting obligations his position imposed. Yet having made the choice, he pursued it with the commitment that true observance demands. The Oresteia suggests that observance is not mere compliance but the deep commitment to fulfill one's obligations even when those obligations create genuine tragedy. Orestes's willingness to accept terrible guilt and divine punishment in order to honor his father's memory and restore justice illustrates that observance sometimes demands the sacrifice of one's own peace and happiness.