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Furies Described in The Eumenides

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In Greek mythology, the Furies, also known as the Erinyes, were female deities of vengeance and retribution. They were described in detail in the play “The Eumenides” by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus.

The Furies were said to have been born from the blood of the castrated Uranus, the god of the sky. They were typically depicted as three women with snakes for hair and wings. They were also said to have eyes that could turn mortals to stone.

In “The Eumenides,” the Furies are called upon to avenge the murder of Clytemnestra’s husband, Agamemnon, by her son Orestes. The Furies initially side with Clytemnestra and seek to punish Orestes for his crime. However, they are eventually convinced by the god Apollo and the goddess Athena to abandon their vengeful ways and join the ranks of the gods.

In the play, the Furies are portrayed as relentless and terrifying beings. They pursue Orestes with relentless fury, driving him to the brink of madness. However, they are also shown to be bound by their own code of honor and are willing to be swayed by reason and justice.

The Furies represented a primal force of vengeance in Greek mythology, but they also had a deeper symbolic significance. They were seen as a representation of the guilt and remorse that can plague a person after committing a crime, and the need for justice and resolution. In “The Eumenides,” they ultimately find a place among the gods, representing the balance between justice and mercy.

Overall, the Furies were a powerful and influential force in Greek mythology, representing the consequences of wrongdoing and the need for justice and redemption.

dipub3418@gmail.com

Furies Described in The Eumenides

Leave a comment

In Greek mythology, the Furies, also known as the Erinyes, were female deities of vengeance and retribution. They were described in detail in the play “The Eumenides” by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus.

The Furies were said to have been born from the blood of the castrated Uranus, the god of the sky. They were typically depicted as three women with snakes for hair and wings. They were also said to have eyes that could turn mortals to stone.

In “The Eumenides,” the Furies are called upon to avenge the murder of Clytemnestra’s husband, Agamemnon, by her son Orestes. The Furies initially side with Clytemnestra and seek to punish Orestes for his crime. However, they are eventually convinced by the god Apollo and the goddess Athena to abandon their vengeful ways and join the ranks of the gods.

In the play, the Furies are portrayed as relentless and terrifying beings. They pursue Orestes with relentless fury, driving him to the brink of madness. However, they are also shown to be bound by their own code of honor and are willing to be swayed by reason and justice.

The Furies represented a primal force of vengeance in Greek mythology, but they also had a deeper symbolic significance. They were seen as a representation of the guilt and remorse that can plague a person after committing a crime, and the need for justice and resolution. In “The Eumenides,” they ultimately find a place among the gods, representing the balance between justice and mercy.

Overall, the Furies were a powerful and influential force in Greek mythology, representing the consequences of wrongdoing and the need for justice and redemption.

dipub3418@gmail.com

What is the most extinct animal in the world?

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Determining the most extinct animal in the world is a difficult task, as many species have gone extinct throughout history and new discoveries are still being made. However, there are a few animals that are widely recognized as being among the most extinct species on Earth.

One of the most famous extinct animals is the dodo bird. The dodo was a flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It was first discovered by European sailors in the late 16th century and was hunted to extinction by the mid-17th century. The dodo is often cited as an example of human-induced extinction, as it was driven to extinction by overhunting and the introduction of non-native species to its habitat.

Another well-known extinct animal is the passenger pigeon. The passenger pigeon was once one of the most abundant bird species in North America, with flocks numbering in the billions. However, overhunting and habitat destruction led to a rapid decline in the species’ population, and the last known passenger pigeon died in captivity in 1914.

The Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine, is another extinct animal that is widely recognized. The Tasmanian tiger was a carnivorous marsupial that was native to Australia and Tasmania. It was hunted to extinction by European settlers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the last known individual died in captivity in 1936.

The woolly mammoth is perhaps one of the most iconic extinct animals from the prehistoric era. The woolly mammoth was a large, hairy elephant that lived during the last ice age. It went extinct around 4,000 years ago, likely due to a combination of climate change and hunting by early humans.

Other notable extinct animals include the saber-toothed tiger, the Irish elk, the great auk, and the Steller’s sea cow. Each of these species went extinct for a variety of reasons, including overhunting, habitat destruction, and climate change.

It is important to note that many species are currently at risk of extinction, with habitat loss, climate change, and human activities threatening their survival. Conservation efforts are underway around the world to protect endangered species and prevent further extinctions, but much work remains to be done.

In conclusion, determining the most extinct animal in the world is a difficult task, as many species have gone extinct throughout history. However, there are several well-known extinct animals that are widely recognized, including the dodo bird, the passenger pigeon, the Tasmanian tiger, and the woolly mammoth. It is important to remember these species and to work to protect endangered species from extinction.

kochi.gomes777@gmail.com

What is the importance of animals?

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Animals play a vital role in our world and have been an integral part of human societies for thousands of years. Here are some of the important roles that animals play in our lives:

  1. Ecological balance: Animals play an important role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems. They help to regulate populations of other species, pollinate plants, and break down organic matter to recycle nutrients.
  2. Food and agriculture: Animals are an important source of food for humans, providing protein and other nutrients. They are also used in agriculture, including for plowing fields, fertilizing crops, and producing milk and eggs.
  3. Research: Animals are used in research to help advance our understanding of biology, medicine, and disease. They are essential for testing new drugs, vaccines, and medical procedures before they are used on humans.
  4. Companionship: Pets such as dogs and cats provide companionship, emotional support, and improve mental health. Studies have shown that owning a pet can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
  5. Work and transportation: Animals have been used for work and transportation for centuries, from horses used for transportation and plowing fields, to dogs used for hunting, herding, and protecting livestock.
  6. Conservation: Many animal species are endangered or threatened due to habitat destruction, poaching, and other human activities. Conservation efforts aim to protect these species and their habitats for future generations.
  7. Cultural significance: Animals have played an important role in human cultures, from ancient myths and folklore to modern art and literature. They are often used as symbols of strength, wisdom, and other human qualities.

In summary, animals are essential for maintaining the balance of ecosystems, providing food and other resources, advancing research, improving mental health, and cultural significance. It is important that we recognize their importance and work to protect and conserve animal species for the benefit of all.

What animals help us?

There are many animals that help us in a variety of ways, including:

  1. Dogs: Dogs are one of the most common animals that help humans. They are often trained as service animals to assist people with disabilities, including guide dogs for the visually impaired, hearing dogs for the deaf, and mobility assistance dogs for those with physical disabilities.
  2. Bees: Bees are essential for pollinating crops and plants, which helps to ensure the growth of food and other agricultural products.
  3. Horses: Horses have been used for transportation, agriculture, and other forms of work for centuries. They are still used in some parts of the world today for transportation, plowing fields, and other tasks.
  4. Cats: Cats are often kept as pets and provide companionship to humans. They are also effective at controlling rodent populations, which can help to protect crops and other food sources.
  5. Birds: Some birds, such as chickens, ducks, and geese, are raised for their meat and eggs, which are important sources of protein.
  6. Cows: Cows are raised for their meat and dairy products, including milk, cheese, and butter.
  7. Fish: Fish are an important source of food for many people around the world, particularly in coastal regions.

In addition to these examples, many other animals provide important services to humans. For example, some animals are used in research to advance scientific knowledge, while others are used for their fur, feathers, or other materials. It is important that we recognize the contributions that animals make to our lives and work to protect and conserve them for future generations.

kochi.gomes777@gmail.com

Podcast: Jew of Malta, 3.4

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My podcast “Toilet Nunnery and Friends” is covering Act 3 Scene 4 of Shakespeare’s Jew of Malta. The over -all goal for my reading is to discuss how the scene might illustrate and how it is a key element to understanding the play in a broader sense, as well as give my audience an authentic feel for a scene reading as if they were just closing their eyes at a live performance. The central claim/thesis for my work is “Although Barabas and Ithamore are BOTH criminally minded, Barabas is more at fault for the downfall of other characters due to his control and investment like nature of relationships.” I whole heartedly believe that Barabas is the downfall of the whole play and its characters, without him Ithamore would have been criminally negligent as well, but he is nowhere near as bad as after Barabas coerces him into doing his bidding. Barabas seeks to control his whole world; his life, his daughter, his money, his friends, and as soon as he does not get what he wants…..he immediately plots their downfall for his own personal gain. Barabas’s greed for more and hypocrisy highlights this play as equally satirical as well as a revenge play. Appearance versus reality in this scene and overall theme in this play shows that nothing is as it seems in Malta, everyone has their own secret motives and pushes for them over the good will of others. Barabas uses this to his advantage, further hiding and disguising his own motives. Barabas pretends to be a quiet Jew minding his own business with his trade, uninterested in political issues, but he has is manipulating things to his own interest. Ithamore and Barabas swear to each other that they will be partners in crime, based on their mutual evil ways, but Barabas no sooner makes Ithamore his son and heir than he threatens to cut his throat if he is not loyal. Ithamore does not hesitate to blackmail his master to get money. Sooner or later Barabas fails to keep up his juggling act of deception as has to face the truth of his treachery by falling to his death. This scene highlights a key moment in the destruction Barabas causes in the chain of events to occur, and his own downfall.

Garit Daniels

18 April. Country Wife Acts, 4 & 5

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  • 1. Even though she admits to Lucy, her maid that she is in love with Harcourt, why won’t Alithea break off her engagement to Sparkish? How does Lucy respond?
  • 2. Why is Sparkish fooled when Harcourt disguises himself as Ned Harcourt, a chaplain from Cambridge? Is Wycherley making fun of disguise as a staging technique? Is he making fun of the church?
  • 3. How does Mr. Pinchwife attempt to figure out what really happened between Margery (Mrs. Pinchwife and Horner at the Exchange)?
  • 4. Does the play hold Pinchwife up as a villain or a character who possesses an excess of hatred for women? Compare his following discourse on love to the several instances in which Horner explains his motives for sleeping with as many ladies as possible (2.1.108-09 & 1.143-44):

    Love! ‘Twas he gave women first their craft, their art of deluding, Out of nature’s hands they came plain, open, silly and fit for slaves, as she and heaven intended’em, but damned Love—well—I must strangle that little monster whilst I can deal with him. (4.2.46-50)

  • 5.What letter does Pinchwife want Margery to write? What letter does she write and send to Horner (4.2.127-58)? Which letter is more successful and why OR how does Horner react (4.3.332-3)? Is the first letter we’ve seen all semester that was written by a women?
  • 6. Why do you think Wycherly stages this scene as he does—why hide Quack behind the screen? Why does he include the several exits and entrances? Why use china as a figure for sex (ex:4.2.182-86)? Besides cuckolding the men in town and taking his revenge against women, what else motivates Horner’s scheme according to this scene?
  • 7. Are Sparkish and Alithea married? Why/why not? Why does Sparkish believe Horner about Harcourt when he refuses to believe Alithea?
  • 8. How does Lucy trick Mr. Pinchwife into taking Mrs. Pinchwife to meet Horner? Why?
  • 9. What letter does Mr. Pinchwife give Sparkish at the top of 5.3?
  • 10. Why does Lucy orchestrate events to show that even Sparkish, and by extension, all men can become jealous?
  • 11.What does Horner, and by extension the audience, learn about women from the “virtuous gang” (5.3.88) and because he pretends to be “no man” (5.4.144)?
  • 12. Does Pinchwife really believe that Horner is impotent and never slept with his wife? In what double bind does Horner trap Mr. Pinchwife at the end of the play?

13 April. Country Wife, Acts 2 & 3

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The Country Wife, Acts 2 & 3

  • 1. Of all the plays we’ve read so far this semester, which does The Country Wife mostly closely resemble? Why do you think some themes, performance techniques, modes of address survived and other did not?
  • 2. What does Mrs. Pinchwife like most about the play she saw? Why won’t Mr. Pinchwife take her to see another?
  • 3. What’s you assessment of Althea? How does she compare with other lady characters we seen so far this semester? How does she differ?
  • 4.In a footnote, our editor, James Ogdon, says, “Ralliery against marriage was so common among the wits as to have become unfashionable [by the 1670’s].” What critiques do the wits Harcourt, Sparkish, and Horner level against marriage? How do their critiques compare with the actual marriages acted out in this play? Does the play propose any alternatives to traditional marriage?
  • 5. Why do you think the scenes with Mr. and Mrs. Pinchwife bookend the scene where Harcourt and Althea meet for the first time?
  • 7. What social factors underwrite the following exchange:

    Lady Fidget: She says true! ‘Tis an arrant shame women of quality should be so slighted, Methinks, birth–birth should go for something. I have known men admired, courted, and followed for their titles only.

    Squemish: Ay, one would think men of honour should not love, no more than marry, out of their own rank.

    Dainty: Fie, Fie upon ’em! They are come to think cross-breeding for themselves best, as well as for their dogs and horses.

    Lady Fidget: They are dogs and horses for it!

  • 6. How does Lady Fidget react when she finds out about Horner’s ruse (2.1.503-509) 
  • 7.What disguise does Pinchwife ultimately decide to dress Mrs. Pinchwife in before the go out on the town (The New Exchange) so that “she may not be seen or known” (3.1.84)? How do the other gallants react when they see Mrs. Pinchwife in “breeches”?
  • 9. Why does Sparkish go see plays and then heckle the play so loudly from the pit that contends against the playwright for the audience’s attention?
  • 10. How does Harcourt use Sparkish to woo Althea? Does Sparkish realize he is being duped?
  • 11. Compare the image of swarms used twice in act 3 (3.2.27-13) and (3.2.166-70). Whom does the image describe and how does it get at the weird ways that gender works in this play?
  • 12.How/why does Horner “torment” Pinchwife at the end of act 3?

11 April. Witch, Act 5 & Country Wife, Act 1

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Housekeeping:

Papers are due next Thursday, April 20 by 5:00.

You will all give your presentations on that date as well. I brought the presentation requirements inline with the final paper.

The Witch of Edmonton, Act 5

  • 1. Why doesn’t the Devil-Dog come when Elizabeth Sawyer calls him at the start of 5.1? How has changed when he finally does appear?
  • 2. Why does the Devil-Dog treat Cuddy Banks differently than he treats Sawyer?
  • 3. According to the Dog, why can devils “bestow [themselves] in such small bodies” (5.1.121)?
  • 4. Why does Cuddy pity the Dog and what sort of alternative lives does he imagine the Dog could lead instead?
  • 5. What crimes is Sawyer charged with and is she responsible for them?
  • 6. Why do Winfred, Old Thorny, and Old Cater forgive Frank at the end? Do you believe that Frank repents his choices as he claims when he says to Winfred and his father:

    Thou much wronged woman, I must sigh for thee
    As he that’s only loath to leave the world
    For that he leaves thee in it unprovided,
    Unfriended; and for me to beg a pity
    From any man to thee when I am gone
    I is more than I can hope; nor, to say truth,
    Have I deserved it. But there is a payment
    Belongs to goodness from the great exchequer
    Above; it will not fail thee, Winifred
    Be that thy comfort.

  • 7. What purpose does the Devil serve in culture OR does The Witch of Edmonton have a moral purpose?

English Civil War (1642-51), Interregnum (1653-1660), & the Restoration of the Monarchy (1660-1678)

James I and IV dies in 1625

Charles I succeeds his dad the same year

Then, in 1649 Charles I is executed in the Banqueting house his father commissioned Inigo Jones to build, and where both James I and Charles watched plays.

Oliver Cromwell, the Protectorate of the realm and head of the New Model Army rules the “commonwealth” of England, Ireland, and Scotland as a Republic from 1653-59

Then, in 1660, King Charles II, Charles I son, returns from exile in France and restores the monarchy to England ushering in a 20 year period of cultural production, of which William Wycherly’s The Country Wife is a famous example.

So what.. what effect did the Civil War, execution of Charles I, Protectorate, and Restoration of the monarch have on the theater?

  • 1. Theaters are closed from 1642 till 1660 because Puritan government thought the plays were licentious and immoral. Also, plague.
  • 2. Plays were not played publicly, but were played in private houses and roadside inns, and maybe at the colleges. Also, as The Witch of Edmonton demonstrates, the plays were published during the Republic.  
  • 3. While dour, the Republic period was kind-of good for (some) women, so when the theaters were reopened in 1660, women played women on stage for the first time. Also, Aphra Behn wrote and staged plays during the Restoration.
  • Two playhouses Drurey Lane and Dorset Gardens

The Libertine

The Country Wife, Act 1

  • 1. Why does Horner want to be “undone with women” (1.16) and how does he accomplish this goal? What story do Horner and Quack make up to support the claim that Horner is impotent?
  • 2. How do the character’s names describe their personalities?
  • 3. Why does Sir Jasper and Lady Fidget visit Horner? Why does Sir Jasper say “sir” so much?
  • 4. How do Horner’s friends, Harcourt and Dorilant, try to cheer him up? Are they successful?
  • 5. Why does Pinchwife marry a woman from the country?

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