« Tu sais ne pas être injuste » : Justice et procès dans les Euménides d’Eschyle

Orestes’ trial is staged in Aeschylus’s play The Eumenides. One may even say that this trial occupies a special place in Athenian minds as it is supposed to be the very first trial ever held in the Aeropagus, a court with several members. But, despite these extraordinary circumstances, one must admit that this trial is far from perfect and that the way justice works in this play is not ideal either. Many things are unclear: who are the members of the jury? How are we supposed to interpret the verdict and the famous equality of votes which seem to be two dead-ends? What shall we do with Athena’s vote that declares, on a whim, that Orestes is “not-guilty”? What is the precise role of the Erinyes, then? Our intent is to show that Aeschylus did not intend to display a perfect sketch of what ideal justice could be, but he intended, on the contrary, to stage the dangers and risks of justice, especially in a democratic society such as Athens. A verdict must not be unequivocal, it must be a perfect balance, so that all parties are given a chance to accept what justice has decided and to be reconciled in the future