Hecuba

Euripides wrote Hecuba around 425 B.C., his first anti-war drama, which depicts the plight of Hecuba, the queen of Troy, after the city was destroyed and she was taken captive. While she is a prisoner of Agamemnon, encamped on the shores of Thrace, she has to endure the sacrifice of her daughter, Polyxena, on the tomb of Achilles as his just reward for his death at the hands of Paris. That very same day, the corpse of her son Polydorus washes ashore and is brought to Hecuba. Bereft of two children in one day, Hecuba seeks vengeance on Polymestor, king of Thrace, who murdered Polydorus. Before Troy fell, king Priam had sent Polydorus to Trace with a large cache of gold in order for him to be kept safe by Polymestor. However, as soon as Troy fell, Polymestor murdered Polydorus and stole the gold.

Hecuba entreats Agamemnon to avenge her son’s death but he refuses since there is a treaty between him and Polymestor. Hecuba then devises a plot, using the large contingent of Trojan maidens being held captive, so that Agamemnon doesn’t have to break his treaty. Hecuba calls Polymestor to bring his two children and meet with her. While in her tent, the Trojan maidens kill the two children and poke out Polymestor’s eyes. Polymestor begs Agamemnon to avenge him, but he refuses. Polymestor then curses Agamemnon, Cassandra and Hecuba. He relays a prophesy by Dionysus that Hecuba will commit suicide by jumping into the sea and Agamemnon, along with Cassandra, will be murdered by his own wife, Clytemnestra when he returns home. Agamemnon scoffs and has Polynestor banished to a deserted island.

Euripides portrays the horrible aftermath of war and all of the political and personal intrigue that follows. Violence begets more violence and those who live by violence die violent deaths. This echoes Jesus’ warning, “All who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52).

Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas’ novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, is perhaps, next to the Three Musketeers, his best and most popular writing. In his typical style, the novel, set in the historical framework of post-revolutionary France in the years 1815 to 1835, is full of adventure, romance and intrigue, making it perfect for a modern movie adaptation. Unfortunately, the book is very complex, with so many characters and intertwining relationships that are impossible to portray in a movie. Therefore, the movie conflates and eliminates characters and simplifies the relationships. In an effort to appeal to a modern audience, the movie ends happily with the hero winning the woman he loves.

Edmond Dantes, a 19-year-old sailor, is promoted to captain by the ship’s owner, who is also the father of Mercedes, his fiancée. This promotion draws the anger and hatred of the ship’s first mate, Danglar, who feels he is the one who should take the dead captain’s place. Dantes’ closest friend, Fernand Mondego, also loves Mercedes but fails to win her heart away from Dantes.

Danglar and Mondego, however, plot against Dantes, using the fact that Dantes had met with the exiled Napolean while the ship had been anchored off the island of Elba. They inform the chief magistrate, Villefort, who condemns Dantes to life in prison in the Chateu d’If, and tells his fiancée that he has been executed. Upon hearing of Dantes’ death, Mercedes agrees to marry Mondego and Danglar schemes to take over the ship and the company from Mercede’s father.

While in prison, Dantes plots his revenge. An old priest teaches him while they dig a tunnel to escape. Before dying in prison, the priest gives Dantes’ a map of a hidden treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. Dantes escapes by exchanging places with the dead priest, is thrown into the sea, and then swims back to the mainland. With the help of a pirate, Jacopo, Dantes finds the treasure and returns to France as the Count of Monte Cristo to exact his revenge on Danglar, Mondego, and Villefort.

While carrying out his plans, Mercedes recognizes Dantes and tries to talk him out of his revenge. He refuses, and after destroying Danglar and Villefort, he faces Mondego. In the struggle, Mercedes is injured and Mondego is killed. In the end, Dantes repents of his revenge and promises to use his fortune to help others and do good. Mercedes, her son Albert, who is actually Dantes’ child, and Jacopo, live happily ever after.

The message the movie gives is that revenge, while not the best option, is justified as long as you don’t go to extremes. In the 1975 movie version, starring Richard Chamberlain, Dantes’ revenge causes the death of his son and the loss of his true love, as Mercedes leaves him in the end because he has been transformed into a different man by his hate. The message of this movie is that revenge will destroy you and those you love. This is much closer to Alexandre Duma’s intentions in the original novel, where the relationships are so intertwined, that as he seeks revenge on his enemies, Dantes’ inadvertently harms his friends and those he loves. Revenge is never sweet and ends up hurting everyone involved. That is why God says, “It is mine to avenge, I will repay.”

Electra

Euripides’ version of the Electra story differs from Sophocles’ in both setting and focus. The story tells the revenge Electra and her brother Orestes take on their mother and step-father for murdering their father, Agamemnon. Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus, murdered Agamemnon on his return from the Trojan war, and then plotted to kill both Electra and Orestes. The head servant hid Orestes and took him to safety where he lived as an exile. Clytemnestra pleaded with Aegisthus not to kill Electra, so he forced her to marry an old peasant so that any children she might bear would be poor and of ignoble birth, making it unlikely that they would threaten his usurped throne.

Orestes now returns in disguise to avenge his father’s death. He reveals himself to his sister, Electra, and they plot to kill Aegisthus and their mother. Orestes hacks down Aegisthus with a meat cleaver while he is offering a sacrifice to the nymphs. He hides the body in Electra’s house and they wait for their mother to complete their task. Clytemnestra comes and tries to justify her murder of Agamemnon by claiming it was revenge for his offering their daughter as a sacrifice before leaving for Troy, as well as for bringing back Cassandra as a concubine from Troy. The dialogue between Electra and her mother highlights the differences in their values; Electra values justice while Clytemnestra values expediency.

Electra then invites her mother into the house and is slaughtered by Orestes who is waiting for her. She cries out for mercy and tries to play on Orestes’ instincts for loving his mother, but he refuses to listen to her desperate cries for mercy. Orestes and Electra emerge from the house, covered in blood and gore, shocked at the horror of their deed.

Electra must atone for her deed by marrying Orestes’ companion and Orestes must go to Athens to stand trial, most likely to be acquitted. Euripides clearly sees the two as innocent for seeking vengeance but still realizes the horror of killing one’s mother. The end of the play is a graphic description of how revenge wreaks havoc on those who pursue it. While contemplating revenge, Electra and Orestes are convinced of the justice of their actions, but after the deed is done, they are forever changed by the horror of their actions. You cannot get revenge without affecting the core of your being.

One quote from the play that I found profound was the line Electra speaks to Aegisthus, condemning him for marrying her mother: “Who so fixes his gaze on wealth or noble birth and weds a wicked woman, is a fool; better is a humble partner in his home, if she be virtuous than a proud one.” Great advice.

Life Lessons 12

The twelfth life lesson is Forgiveness. Forgiveness is more beneficial for the forgiver than for the forgiven. Learn to give up your rights in order to receive what is far more valuable. Forgiveness is to be restored to a place of grace.

Forgiveness is not condoning the hurtful behavior. By forgiving you do not justify the wrong act. But when you refuse to forgive you are only punishing yourself, not the wrongdoer. Forgiveness is not letting people walk all over us. It is realizing that they are bigger than their mistakes.

Getting even may make us feel good for the moment, but it ultimately makes us feel guilty. We want the other person to know our pain, but revenge only makes our pain worse. Refusal to forgive keeps us stuck and makes us a victim. We lose our power when we hold back forgiveness.

Become aware of your anger and let it out constructively. Allow yourself to feel the pain, sorrow, loss, and other negative feelings. Then, let those feelings go. Often what others say or do to hurt you is not about you but about themselves. People think they are doing the right thing; they usually don’t set out to do wrong. No one plans on making a mistake or doing something that will make themselves miserable. Learn to give people the benefit of the doubt and you will find it easier to forgive them. Realize that you often make similar mistakes, and you will find your heart becoming more agreeable to forgiveness.

Revenge is in God's hands not ours. Give the situation to God and trust Him to right any wrongs. Don’t take the management of the universe on your shoulders. Ask God for the grace to forgive. See forgiveness as a Spiritual Maintenance Plan to keep our hearts open and receptive to God’s grace.