How does the view of ethical cause and effect in history in Works and Days compare with the furies’ view in The Eumenides?”
Both the books, Work and Days, and The Eumenides are important in Greek literature in the world today. Both of them discuss ethics, sanctions, and morals in their own ways. While one is a poem about the Gods and their relationship with humanity, the other is just as important. Eumenides is about a story of murder and revenge. Both of these are drastically different in their story telling, yet both of them are captivating and enthralling for any reader. These two are powerful because of the teachings they hold. While one discusses the results of relation ships with Gods, the other discusses the effects of murder and revenge.
As stated previously, Works and days is one of the most important books in Greek literature. This is because it discusses Greek religion and history. In the Poem, Hesiod writes about the 5 Races of Human. This is important because a main theme of the book is how the further Human Kind goes into the future, the less ethical and more morally wrong they become. The poem, as stated previously, discusses the relationship with the Greek Gods, and Zeus to be specific. The poem describes Zeus as a strong powerful God who is in charge of punishing those who are wrong and unjust. It is his Job also to choose the punishment for the person. This is a big sanction. Right off the bat, we see how people have laws and rules to abide by. This immediately sets consequences for the people who do not. Effect is a big part of this book. If they do not follow the restrictions and guidelines of ethics and morals, they will be punished in the hands of Zeus.
In the poem Eumenides, we see Oresteia being hunted by the city of Athens after the murder of his mother. In the first part of the poem, Oresteia is the Son of Agamemnon. At the end of the bloody Trojan war, we see Agamemnon killed by his wife. In the second part of the trilogy, we see Oresteia finding and erecting revenge for his late father. He does so by killing his mother. In Eumenides, we see Oresteia being hunted by the Athens. This is a great example of cause and effect. The main theme of this is to show that those who do wrong will meet their punishment. This can be seen with the mother. Clytemnestra was killed by her own son because of what she did. If she had not done wrong, then she would have not been punished. Another example is of course Oresteia being followed by the mod of Athens. Because of his action, he will meet a punishment fitting of the crime. These are two great examples of how ethics inevitably lead to sanctions.
Within the two great works of art, we can see clearly a direct relationship between the two. While different in their stories, the morals are the same. Doing bad will result in punishment, doing good will result in award. This is important in the world today. The word ethics and sanctions are used freely. This is a good fitting example of how the words should be used. The cause and effect are strong in the poems and showcase the power of these great, Greek works of art.
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