The Heart of the Matter: Gods, Grief, and Freedom in Aeschylus' Orestia

In the Appendix I have made available a list of passages from T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral,¹⁵ what I consider a modern Greek tragedy, in the hope of emphasizing the importance of the issue of internal freedom. The central figure, Thomas Beckett, an Archbishop, must contend with the king of England in that the king has conducted himself contrary to the doctrines of the Church. Beckett wages war internally amidst a conflict that is external, as he is unable to discern what he must do and say. While grief and guilt do not play any roles in these passages, they do show the internal dilemma that transpires within the heart and mind.

In ancient Greek plays, grief and guilt act as yokes of slavery on the heart, greatly affecting what comes out of one's mouth. The desire to remove the yoke and to achieve a harmony between the heart and the tongue is great indeed, but only possible, according to the Greeks, with an immense amount of effort and more than a little help from the gods.

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