Revenge in Aeschylus' Oresteia Trilogy and Sophocles' Electra The act of revenge in classical Greek plays and society is a question complex with inevitable consequences. In some cases, this is a bigger concern than family ties. When a family member is murdered, another family member is expected to seek and take revenge. If all parties involved are of the same blood, revenge will ultimately destroy the family. Aeschylus, through “The Oresteia Trilogy”, and Sophocles, through “Electra”, attempt to show the Athenians that revenge is a just act which must sometimes have no limit to its scope. Orestes and his sister Electra, the children of the slain Agamemnon, fight to avenge their father's death. Although they are unsure of what course of action to take, the brother and sister agree that revenge must take place. Revenge is a crucial element of Greek plays that gives the characters a sense of honor and their actions a sense of justice. Killing the person responsible for the death of your family member is Athenian justice. This type of murderous justice is carried out by Orestes and Electra. Before going to Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, they plot the murder of their father's murderers. They decide that Orestes will murder his mother and that Electra will get rid of Aegisthus. Orestes is the more focused of the two; but Electra, although shy at first, is the most masculine. These two personality traits are essential to the realization of their plan. Once her brother comes up with the plan, Electra verbally encourages him to carry it out. After thrusting her blade into Clytemnestra once, Electra shouts that "[if] you are a man, [s]trike twice!" (Sophocles 5...... middle of paper...... and being unable to know what this means, Athena proclaims that “[m]ine is the final vote, [and] I attribute it to Orestes "cause" (Aeschylus 140). He was simply following the unspoken law that you kill the person responsible for the death of your family member, he would be looked down upon with disdain. The act of vengeance is the most honorable act of all forms of justice. Killing those who kill the people you care about demonstrates your loyalty to the deceased man or woman. to kill his mother, Orestes avenged his father's death and Sophocles showed his fellow men that even if it is not the most pleasant and aesthetic solution, revenge is the most just. Although his actions caused problems and criticism, Orestes did exactly what he was supposed to do in the given situation..