The degree of power wielded by the governing bodies is depicted in the Oresteia. For instance, the Furies, a trio of Solemn Goddesses, hideous beyond the imaginations of men, bent on punishing the wicked would generate the fear necessary for commanding proper obedience. Likewise, a towering shrine constructed as a demonstration of power and a depiction of the monumentality of the gods'more specifically, Athena, who is idealized in both the words of the Oresteia and the Parthenon. In the Oresteia, she is credited with establishing the Athenian legal system and allowing democracy to flourish. The democratic systems of government, military, and law were testaments to the sophistication for which Athens is known.
To its citizens, the polis provided a superior way of life to that of the barbarians'that is, everyone who was not Greek, and those who lived governed by kings. In an age of almost non-stop warfare, the male citizens of a Greek polis between the ages of 18 and 60 were obliged to serve in the army. In return, they were granted a voice in governmental issues. The Athenians liked to believe that by making men free and politically responsible, the acropolis civilized its individual citizens and enabled them to live worthwhile lives (Stockton and Jackson). Aeschylus aptly personifies the basis of this societal value with the words of Athena: .
?[A]nd on this hill of Ares I will found my court. .
From this rock shall come the respect to inspire.
my citizens and the fear to restrain injustice. (T. F. 690-692).
Thus, the very foundation of this democratic system is divine in nature. Athena herself found[s]? the court and she uses her divinity toinspire? the properfear? andrespect? the law and order of society. On the other hand, the Athenian rulers could not revoke the freedoms of her people and form a 1984-like society. Athens had to find a balance between preserving the freedoms of her people and allowing the chaos of a barbaric culture to reign.
To show their homage, the Atheans, built the Parthenon. The word Parthenon means virgin's place, for Athena was a virgin goddess ("Parthenon"-1). ... Aeschylus seems to sum it up in Athena's speech to the court in The Oresteia. ... "Parthenon." ...
One example of the art in their architecture is The Parthenon. ... The Oresteia of Aeschylus, a statue, expresses spirit, power, and technical components like the Athenian dramas (Schefold 111). ... Probably the most perfect example of Athens" greatness in art and mathematics is The Parthenon, which was part of the Periclean building program. ... Because all these sculptors came together to work on the Parthenon sharing different ideas, watching each other and competing with each other, their style became homogenous and soon set the standard of Greek and Roman art, even European art later i...
For example, the people were paid to build the Parthenon as a symbol of victory when they triumphed in the war against Persia. Inside the Parthenon they placed a statue of Athene, the goddess of war and wisdom, made out of ivory and gold. ... Aeschylus wrote about betrayal, murder and reconciliation in his trilogy of plays name The Oresteia. ...
