Consequences of Vengeance in Thyestes
Thyestes is a play staged primarily on the theme of revenge, redemption, and hatred between two twin brothers, Thyestes and Aterus. The hostility began with the battling for the throne of Mycenae in the house of Tantalus. The hate between the brothers grew strong and led them to plot the arts of revenge against themselves (Star, 2019). Moreover, Tantalus’s house knew no peace as a series of tragedies kept on befalling them as a result of intense hatred between the twin brothers. This essay will provide critical analysis of the acts of revenge portrayed in the play and their effects on the characters. Revenge and hatred are not the solutions to solving rivalry among people as they only worsen the situation and lead to undesirable consequences such as death.
Thyestes’ act of adultery and seduction of his brother’s wife was the beginning of the many tragedies that were seen in Tantalus’s house. It created a vast enmity among the twin brothers that forced him to ran away from the city for fear of his brother’s anguish. On the other hand, his brother called upon his search, which was done by his two sons claiming to have buried the past and forgiven him. According to Adade-Yeboah, Asuamah, and Kwaku Ahenkora (2016), Thyestes was not convinced by his brother’s change of heart but decided to trust his wish for peace in their house. Furthermore, Thyestes was fed up with the battling for power over the throne and vowed to change his hunger for wealth to promote peace in their home. Little did he know that he would eat the flesh of his children.
Aterus carried out vengeance on his brother by killing his two sons and tricking him into eating their flesh. This act angered Thyestes after he discovered the truth and vowed to also revenge his brother by ending his own life and inherit the throne. One tragedy after the other became the norm of Tantalus’s house, which comprised murder, incest, adultery, and fight for power. The tragedies are linked to the curse that their father left on them before his death after they murdered their stepbrother, Chrysippus (Star, 2019). The hunger of vengeance and a change of a good heart, makes Thyestes raped his daughter and had his son kill his brother. This indicates the harmful consequences that revenge could bring to people if reconciliation and peace are not maintained.
In conclusion, hunger for vengeance contributes significantly to the thirst for unhealthy traits such as incest, adultery, and fight for power among people. Vengeance is usually performed when an individual is full of anger and does not want to weigh the consequence of his plot and action against another individual. People must be willing to have a reconciliation process and reach agreements in issues that may lead to revenge, such as wealth and property distribution, and aim to promote peace to avoid a strong urge and desire for revenge. This may prevent the undesirable consequences of revenge, especially death. For instance, if the characters in the play searched for means of reconciliation from the beginning, then various tragedies such as murder and incest would have been evaded. Thus, revenge and hatred should not be regarded as the solution to solving any rivalry between individuals.
Work Cited
Adade-Yeboah, Asuamah, and Kwaku Ahenkora. “The tragic hero of the neo-classical revival.” (2016).
Star, Christopher. “Seneca, Thyestes. Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary by AJ Boyle.” Gnomon 91.1 (2019): 28-30.