How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
But since this matter has descended suddenly upon us here, [I shall appoint] judges for murder-cases, with respect for oaths under an ordinance which I shall lay down for all time, [a line missing] with no transgression of their oath through unjust minds." (482-484, 489)
There are a lot of references made in The Eumenides to a specific historical event that happened not long before the play was first performed. These were the reforms of a dude named Ephialtes, a prominent politician in Athens. One of the things this Ephialtes guy did was take away most of the power of the Areopagus—a conservative council of former-politicians that controlled a lot of Athenian business. When Ephialtes took away the Areopagus's political power and made it more democratic, he still let the Areopagus keep one of their oldest responsibilities: judging murder cases, especially those involving members of the same family. See any parallels with The Eumenides here?
Quote #5
(Athena): "Make your proclamation, herald, and keep the people back! And let the Etruscan trumpet which pierces [to the heaven] be filled with human breath and sound its shrill note clearly to the people! While this council is filling up, it helps for the whole city as well as these parties to be silent and to hear my ordinances for all time, so that the case may be well judged." (566-573)
These words from Athena also fit into the Future-From-The-Perspective-Of-The-Fictional-Characters-But-Past-From-The-Perspective-Of-Aeschylus-And-His-Audience category. By having the goddess Athena proclaim that the law court will last for all time, that's kind of Aeschylus's way of saying, "Yup, the Council of the Areopagus is awesome."
Quote #6
(Apollo): "Pallas, I shall make your city and your people great in other ways, as I know how, but above all I have sent Orestes here as suppliant at your temple's hearth to pledge loyalty for all time, and for you to gain him as your ally, goddess, and those after him; and in order that these things should remain to eternity, for the Athenians' later generations to honour the pledges sworn." (667-673)
Yes, another entry in the Future-From-The-Perspective-Of-The-Fictional-Characters-But-Past-From-The-Perspective-Of-Aeschylus-And-His-Audience category, or FFTPOTFCBPFTPOAAHA for short (we won't be using that acronym very often… or ever).
How so? This one goes back to the idea of the recent (from the perspective of Aeschylus and his audience) alliance between Athens and Argos. This was also referenced in the quotation from lines 287-291.