Kinship and Politics Are Closely Inter-Related

1418 Words6 Pages
Kinship and politics are most closely inter-related when families are in position of power. Politics involves a position of power in which can give orders and have rights over lands and properties. Kinship can be thought of as a bond or a family relation between a mother and a child or a husband and wife. The selected texts are Hesiod (2006) extract from Theogony and The Oresteia; The Eumenides by Aeschylus serve to illustrate the different relationship between politics and kinship. These texts clearly demonstrate that politics more often takes priority over kinship, but it comes with a great personal loss. People who aim for politically power, and strive to keep that power will often have personal sacrifices such as loss of family and friends. In The Oresteia, The Eumenides, politics plays a major role. The play is a story of the Greek Gods. As the play is set in the temple of Delphi and tells the story of the disagreements between the gods. The characters are arguing and accusing each other to test their boundaries in what they are prepared to do for political gain. The characters use political thoughts to convince each other of their guilt “Authority-you? Sound out your splendid power” (Aeschylus, 1977 : 240). Apollo is questioning the powers of leaders to pass judgement on the crime that has taken place. Apollo feels he is politically correct in giving a command to Orestes to kill his mother to avenge his father’s soul to lay to rest. “We will devise the master-stroke that sets you free from torment once for all. I persuaded you to take your mothers life” (Aeschylus, 1977 : 234). The character of Apollo, and his dialogue with the other characters, shows that his political power is endless. Through the play it is shown that politics have a significant role in kinship due to the arguments that have been brought up, which the mythology of kinship play a good

More about Kinship and Politics Are Closely Inter-Related

Open Document