The Eumenides · Character

The Eumenides

The Furies who hunt Orestes across sea and city, then stand trial in Athens as the play's oldest, angriest guardians of blood-vengeance.

supporting

Also known as Eumenides

First appearance: the eumenides

As a supporting figure in The Eumenides, The Eumenides is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Described as the transformed Furies who accept a new home in Athens and bless the city.

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These ancient daughters of Night exist to punish kin-murder, and they pursue Orestes relentlessly because a mother's blood cries out for payment. Their power is real but strangely vulnerable: Clytemnestra's ghost must rouse them from sleep with shaming words, and they wake groaning that their prey has slipped the net. They matter because the play's central question—whether mercy can exist alongside justice—depends entirely on whether these relentless hunters can ever be persuaded to stop.

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See The Eumenides in the eumenides

Character Web

7 connections

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Relationship types

Psychological
Professional
Friendship
Family
Other

Character groups

Vengeance and Justice Cycle
Protagonist

+2 more in the full Character Web

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Relationships

The Furies
psychological · ambivalent
The Eumenides are the transformed, benevolent aspect of the Furies, representing their… How this plays out →
Zeus
professional · positive
Orestes
friendship · positive
Mother Earth
family · positive
Zeus
professional · positive
The Furies
psychological · ambivalent
The Eumenides are the transformed, benevolent aspect of the Furies, representing their… How this plays out →
Orestes
friendship · positive

The Furies
The Eumenides are the transformed, benevolent aspect of the Furies, representing their psychological and spiritual evolution from vengeance to justice.
Zeus
The Eumenides are integrated into Zeus's new order of justice, serving as honored deities under his authority.
Orestes
Orestes is reconciled with the Eumenides after their transformation, receiving their blessing and protection.
Mother Earth
Mother Earth is the primordial source from which the Eumenides (as transformed Furies) ultimately derive their power and origin.
Zeus
The Eumenides are integrated into Zeus's new order of justice, serving as honored deities under his authority.
The Furies
The Eumenides are the transformed, benevolent aspect of the Furies, representing their psychological and spiritual evolution from vengeance to justice.
Orestes
Orestes is reconciled with the Eumenides after their transformation, receiving their blessing and protection.

Relationship notes

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See The Eumenides in the eumenides

In the story

The Eumenides appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Endnotes

Chapter companion notes

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See The Eumenides in the eumenides

See The Eumenides in Endnotes