We're not talking about the kind of "Guilty!" proclamation that is accompanied by a strike of the gavel. We're talking about the feeling of guilt that someone has after doing an evil deed and the self-blame that results.
What's perhaps most amazing in The Eumenides is how little guilt and self-blame Orestes has for his crime. He seems more interested in getting on with his life. Actually, the ones who are really on a guilt and self-blame trip are the Furies, who are insecure about losing respect if they can't carry out their duty of hounding Orestes to the ends of the earth.
Questions About Guilt and Blame
- Which does the play portray as more important: guilt in the sense of personal, emotional guilt or guilt as determined by a court of law?
- Why is it important for Orestes to perform a ritual to remove his guilt?
- Are the Furies more concerned with making people feel guilty for their crimes or with punishing them for their crimes? Or are these one and the same thing?
- Does the play portray the idea of guilt differently than a modern play would? If so, how?
Chew on This
The Furies simply want to inflict maximum pain on wrongdoers. Inflicting mental guilt is a useful tool for the Furies, but it isn't their only tool.
Orestes performs rituals to remove his guilt because his guilt causes pollution, making other people have to keep away from him. This is different from the modern sense of guilt, which is more about how you think about yourself as a person.