His defense of Orestes is visible throughout the play. Apollo continues to reinforce his steadfastness with the following lines: “Through to the end standing/ your guardian, whether by your side or far away, / I shall not weaken towards your enemies.” He is appointing himself as Orestes guardian and he manages to go through with his promise by keeping him safe.īesides his interaction with Orestes, Apollo is also seen engaging in dialogue with the furies, Athena and the judges. His words are extremely powerful in this instance and they anticipate his complete involvement in Orestes’ fate and ultimate trial.

It is surprising for the reader when Apollo makes his physical appearance in The Eumenides, where his first words are directed to Orestes: “I will not give you up.” It is very unusual for a god to be this involved in the humans’ lives and take such a responsibility for a mortal. Though Apollo’s words are not heard directly, but are reconstituted through Orestes’ speech, they are powerful and threatening enough to make Orestes commit the ultimate act – matricide. In order to make Orestes heed his prophecy, Apollo also foresees great hardship and punishment for Orestes if he decides not to kill his mother and avenge his father’s death: “He said that else I must myself pay penalty/ with my own life, and suffer grim punishment.” Both the danger of such repercussions and his own desire for revenge then prompt Orestes to kill Clytemnestra. As a god that has the power of prophecy, Apollo is an important instrument in the fulfillment of Orestes’ destiny and the author’s aim of the text. Apollo is used here as a background force that makes Orestes to go on with his revenge and kill his mother. He continues to explain that “the god’s urgency” drives him on. “The big strength of Apollo’s oracle will not forsake me,” Orestes proudly proclaims as he explains his plans of revenge to his sister Electra.

In The Libation Bearers, Apollo is present only through the words of Orestes, making him an enigmatic character.

The oresteia eumenides