How Marvel 's Daredevil Was Influenced by Orestes Essay

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The Influence of the Orestes in the “The Eumenides” on Marvel’s “Daredevil” SuperheroBeginning with Gilgamesh, superheroes have fascinated humankind since antiquity and this is not surprising given their seeming abilities to transcend mere mortality and achieve spectacular feats. It is also little wonder that the continuing interest in both ancient and modern superheroes has been leveraged to create enduring franchises that attract significant readership and audiences for motion picture adaptations. To gain some new insights into this phenomenon, the purpose of this paper is to discuss how the superhero “Daredevil” seems to be influenced by Orestes from The Eumenides (“The Kindly Ones”) by the ancient Greek, Aeschylus. An analysis of the laws of the time and their implications for ancient and modern superheroes is followed by a summary of the findings in the conclusion.Review and DiscussionIn “The Eumenides,” the last play in Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy, the son of Clytemnestra, Orestes, is charged with her murder – but he has his reasons. The subsequent trial of Orestes for matricide, conducted in Athens, represents a pivotal moment in the transition from old systems of justice based on blood vengeance to a new, civilized form of legal proceedings. In this regard, Black’s Law Dictionary defines matricide as “the murder of a mother, or one who has slain his mother” (978). For this heinous crime, Orestes is relentlessly tormented by the Furies, the ancient goddesses of vengeance, who demand that he pay the longstanding. traditional price for his capital crime of matricide, which was death. In response, Apollo, who had indirectly commanded Orestes to kill his mother through the Oracle of Delphi, appears in person to represent him at his trial as a defense attorney. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, presides over the trial and establishes a jury of Athenian citizens to judge the case.The jury’s vote is a tie and Athena, claiming her right as the presiding judge of the trial and assuring the citizens of Athens that she had considered all of the relevant evidence in the case, casts the deciding vote in favor of Orestes thereby acquitting him and demonstrating how justice works to the Athenians.

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Having Apollo as his defense attorney clearly did not hurt Orestes’ case either. This verdict not only saves Orestes but also establishes the precedent for a new system of jurisprudence that is based on reason and civic participation, rather than unending cycles of vengeance. Moreover, Athena even succeeds in persuading the Furies to accept a new role…

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…deep religious faith mirror those that Orestes experienced when he was faced with the moral dilemma of being ordered to murder his mother. In sum, the Furies and Apollo represent the adversarial framework that characterizes modern jurisprudence, with both protagonists being compelled to reconcile personal convictions and societal norms to achieve justice.ConclusionThe research showed that the parallels between Aeschylus’ Orestes and Marvel’s Daredevil reveal the enduring appeal of characters who navigate complex moral and legal landscapes. Both figures embody the struggle between personal convictions and societal justice, confronting the limitations of legal systems while striving for a higher form of righteousness. For instance, Daredevil, as a modern interpretation of ancient heroic archetypes, demonstrates the continued relevance of these themes in contemporary storytelling in both print and screen. His dual identity as Matt Murdock, a lawyer by day and vigilante by night, mirrors the transformation of justice witnessed in The Eumenides. The research also showed that superhero narratives, rooted in age-old literary traditions, continue to explore fundamental questions about law, morality, and human nature. In the final analysis, the enduring popularity of characters such as Daredevil who has outlasted dozens of other superhero characters over the years underscores our ongoing fascination with the complex interplay between justice, vengeance, and,….....

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