The Consequences of Murder

Is there ever a justification for murder? Yes, one can study the motives behind a murder, but it is still a murder. No matter what the motive may be, for justice, power, or revenge, a life has been taken. Ending a life affects a person tremendously. Although we do not get to witness Agamemnon after he sacrifices his daughter, I believe he might have genuinely grieved for her loss. Orestes even hesitates before killing his mother and says, "What will I do, Pylades?- I dread to kill my mother!" (line 886). Maybe that hesitation was a warning that he should have paid attention to instead of ignoring. In the end, Orestes loses his mind. The act of murder has left him undone. I see Lady Macbeth in this. She encourages the murder of King Duncan for different reasons, but in the end, she loses her mind. She walks through the house in her sleep constantly trying to wash the blood from her hands. She may have gained the power she sought but in the act she lost her soul. I think Mel Gibson's character Benjamin Martin from The Patriot phrases this dilemma perfectly, "I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me and the cost is more than I can bear."

P.S. I commented on Mallory's post.