How does the view of ethical cause and effect in history in Works and Days compare with the furies’ view in The Eumenides? According to Wikipedia Hesiod “was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.” Work and days was written by Hesiod around 700 BC. 

According to Wikipedia Aeschylus “was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy.” He wrote many tragedies and only some are still here today. He wrote the play Eumenides. The Eumenides was considered culturally important by the scholars and the Eumenides was also considered to have been published around 458 BC. 

There are two completely different worldviews on ethical cause and effect in these two plays. In the Greek civilization there is some confusion about the gods and ultimate sovereignty. An example of this would be Zeus. Zeus has authority over all of the gods, but only a portion of the earth. Also all of the gods have different powers and control different things. Because of this the Greeks have no idea of which god they should worship. They have to choose a god and hope that the other gods don’t punish them. These two play have their differences and their similarities.

In Work and Days, Hesiod’s father just died and Hesiod’s brother Perses gets the land. Hesiod wants the land, but the court tells Hesiod no. So Hesiod tells his brother in Work and Days how to live a good life. Part of this advice was to not listen the the court, but instead omen’s sent by the gods. Hesiod hopes to gain a large portion of the land from Perses through this. The Eumenides tells that the gods are greater and more powerful then man. Accept they give power to the courts and say man has to listen to it. The statements about the court are similar in some ways and different in other ways. Even though they have completely different worldviews they are somewhat alike. 

A big difference is that in Work and days Hesiod tells his brother Perses to directly listen and obey the gods. In the Eumenides the gods gave man this power. Like I said before there are different in some ways and alike in others.