A Case of Comparison

The judge bangs his gavel against the desk and yells, “Order in the court!” All eyes land on him. The jury look on obediently. The audience wait attentively for the trial to start. Meanwhile, the prosecution and defense ruminate to themselves. This scenario accurately reflects today’s stereotypical courtroom. Having said that, current courtrooms do not differ considerably from the earliest tribunals. That fact proves true in the playwright Aeschylus’ depiction of the primitive judiciary system in his play, The Eumenides. Aeschylus writes of a man by the name of Orestes who endures a trial for his crime of murdering his mother. Orestes’ trial distinctly resembles modern-day trials in various ways.

            One aspect of Orestes’ trial that reflects present-day trials resides in the concept of trial by jury. Athena, the goddess of justice who assumes the role of judge, appoints ten citizens to be “judges” from the “finest men of Athens” (498-503). These judges, like current judicial processions, essentially serve as jury members for the trial. Comparable to today, the individuals were selected from a pool of town citizens. Not only that, but they were the “finest” men. When citizens today are cited for jury duty, he or she is expected to arrive in court, but the person may or may not be selected. This owes reasoning to the fact that the judge and lawyers generally choose people based on what the attorneys would consider to be favorable or “fine” characteristics that would advance the prosecution or defense’s side of the case. Additionally, the number of citizens that Athena selected fall within the range of the 6-12 jurors that typically serve on juries today. More similarities exist between Orestes’ trial and modern trials.

            Another facet of Orestes’ case that displays correspondences to present-day court cases prevails in the notion of undisclosed voting. Athena commands “each man to cast his lot and judge the case, reverent to his oath” (724-725). In that situation, Athena asserts that each judge should vote according to what he believes while remaining loyal to his oath. In the same manner, modern jurors are expected to abide by an oath that substantially states that he or she will vote according to the facts without prejudice and not break his or her promise. Another characteristic that withholds similarities exposes itself in the anonymity of votes. When the judge reveals the verdict, in both Orestes’ trial and present-day trials, outsiders are unaware of each juror’s decision. This phenomenon subsists in order to preserve the delicate system of justice. It makes perfect sense that this system would appear in Athena’s court considering Athena is the goddess of justice. It also harmonizes with the purpose of today’s judiciary system, which is to preserve justice.

            My verdict is that Aeschylus presents an illustration of a trial that easily finds its place in our contemporary minds. We effortlessly picture the trial by jury and voting customs in the play that also exist in our society. I hereby dismiss him from all charges of incomprehensible setting and plot. Court (and essay) adjourned!

The Greek Elvis

            I grew up in a house very familiar with the name and image of Elvis Presley. My mom prides herself in a signed photograph of Elvis that resides, to my dismay, framed in our living room. She meticulously picked out the furniture to match the color scheme in the picture. Did I mention that the picture is a whopping five feet tall?? Crazy. I know. Upon discovering that the play I was about to read includes Elvis’ image on the cover, my curiosity understandably blossomed. The playwright Euripides composed the play, The Bacchae. The play’s plot references the Greek god, Dionysus, and his effort to spread his religion to the Greek city of Thebes, where his divinity remains adamantly rejected. While reading the text, it became very clear to me why Elvis’ face graces the cover page. Dionysus possesses many qualities that are similar to those of Elvis Presley.

           Dionysus’ persona easily falls under Casanova, not unlike his suave counterpart Elvis. When Pentheus, the king of Thebes, hears about Dionysus, Pentheus exclaims, “These women of ours have left their homes / and run away to the mountains … / … Dionysus, whoever that is; they’re dancing for him” (217-220)! The women abandoned their city and men in pursuit of Dionysus, and they seemed to be amusing Dionysus with dance too. One can imagine that the men were not overly thrilled with making their own dinner. This sounds all too familiar to what occurred with the women who were struck by Elvis’ charm. When Elvis performed, women would flock from their homes to dance in the concert crowd in utter admiration for Elvis. Comparatively, the men were not too enthused with these events. The similarities between Dionysus and Elvis do not stop there.

           Dionysus’ dance style edges on unnatural, comparable with the atypical dance moves of Elvis. There are many instances within the play where the women of Dionysus are described as being frenzied in a peculiar type of dance. One example from the text illustrating one of the women dancing states, “She strains, she races, whirls and prances / on meadows by rivers, delighting / in the absence of men …” (873-875). This kind of dancing was unlike any dancing that the city of Thebes had witnessed. The men even regarded the dancing as provocative and inappropriate, but the women were enthralled with it. Likewise, Elvis brought a new dance to the scene. His dance moves were characterized by moving his hips. In the mid-1900s, placing your dancing emphasis on your hips was considered wildly improper, especially by the men. However, as you may know, the ladies were highly obsessed.

           Clearly, Dionysus exhibits many characteristics comparable to Elvis Presley. The fact that they are both notorious for exuberant women and unique dances are only a few of their similarities. At the conclusion of the play, I found that I had a crystal-clear picture of Dionysus’ character. Just picture the Greek Elvis. Switch Elvis’ classic white, star-studded jumpsuit for a white, belted toga, and there you have it! I wonder if I painted a picture of a Greek Elvis if my mom would frame it and put it in the dining room? I figure she would as long as it is five feet tall and matches the table set. I will get back to you on that one.

Bromantic Tragedy

            The idea of a romantic tragedy is very prevalent in the world of literature and cinema. Whether the work is Romeo and Juliet or Titanic, we have all heard of a romantic tragedy at least once in our life. A romantic tragedy that you may or may not have heard of is that of Nisus and Euryalus in Virgil’s epic poem, The Aeneid. The romantic involvement of Nisus and Euryalus is a debated topic, partly because the majority of readers is convinced that Nisus and Euryalus simply had a passionate bromance. However, it is evident to me that Nisus and Euryalus were, indeed, lovers.

            Nisus demonstrates his love for Euryalus by cheating so Euryalus can win the foot race. Referencing Nisus’ act of affection, the text says, “But he won’t forget Euryalus, / his great love, never, up from the slime he struggles, / flings himself in Salius’ path to send him spinning, /…as Euryalus flashes past, thanks to his friend / he takes the lead…” (164). It is a known fact that when we love another, we want the other person to succeed in all that he or she does. Also, love tends to blind us, and it is in that state when we tend to act immorally or irrationally. It was certainly immoral for Nisus to trip Salius in order for Euryalus to succeed; notwithstanding, the reader understands that he did it out of love. On the basis of those truths, Nisus and Euryalus are clearly very infatuated with each other.

            Nisus continues to expose the love that he shares with Euryalus when Nisus risks his life for Euryalus. In a desperate attempt to save Euryalus, Nisus leaps out of safety and says to the Rutulians, “The crime’s all mine, he never dared, / …All he did was love his unlucky friend too well” (280). When we deeply love someone, we want to do everything in our power to keep our significant other safe. Also, Nisus states that Euryalus’ only default was loving Nisus too well. This level of affection is too powerful to be replicated in anything other than a romantic relationship. The proof of their profound adoration for each other does not disappear there.

            To top the great romantic tale off, Nisus succumbs to a blind rage of fury after Euryalus dies and ends up at death’s door himself. Nevertheless, his death was not in vain. Nisus “in the still of death / found peace at last” (281). The reader can conclude that Nisus found more contentment in dying with Euryalus by his side than living life without him. There is an old truism that says something along the lines of how the hardest part of losing a loved one is not their departure but learning to live without them. It seems that Nisus could not take that realization. This piece of evidence serves as the greatest validation of Nisus’ and Euryalus’ romantic involvement because the unfortunate ending is analogous to a classic romantic tragedy.

          Cheating. Risks. Death. These words are considerably reminiscent of a trailer to a romantic movie or a synopsis to a romantic novel, but they are actually just a boiled-down summary of the narrative of Nisus and Euryalus. With that observation, it is blatant that Virgil depicted Nisus and Euryalus as lovers. The question that might cross your mind now is not whether Nisus and Euryalus were romantically involved. Rather, how is there even a valid claim that Nisus and Euryalus were not? With all that said, I think that Virgil should be credited with a new literary genre. We shall call it the… BROMANTIC TRAGEDY.