Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of portraying man’s encounter and battle with fate, destiny, accidents, and suffering in this battle. Perhaps it is due to the continuity of such encounters that tragedy has remained enduring and undoubtedly influential throughout all ages. In tragedy, special attention has been paid to deep and fundamental philosophical issues related to human life, such as the relationship with the gods and fate, the limits of human will and freedom in destiny, and especially death as the end of human life. The impact and significance of tragedy in Western scientific discourse is such that it has drawn the attention of many great philosophers in analyzing and explaining this ancient dramatic form. Aristotle considers the origin of tragedy to be the improvisations of the dithyrambic poets, which were sung during the Dionysian rituals. The literal meaning of tragedy is “goat song,” and it is said that the worshipers of Dionysus wore goat skins and danced, celebrated, and sang dithyrambs around the idol of this god. However, it should be noted that in that era and among different tribes, the sexual power of the goat was also noteworthy; therefore, it sometimes finds a connection with Dionysus himself, who is the embodiment of fertility. These poems, which had a lyrical form and epic content, mainly narrated the death of Dionysus. Among the earliest tragedians whose works have survived, Aeschylus (circa 523 to 456 BCE) stands out. According to literary critics, his works have religious and mysterious themes, and he is sometimes considered to be influenced by Pythagoras. What is significant about his writings is their remarkable theatricality, due to the magnificent visual effects he employs. Another feature of his work is the introduction of a second actor into the tragedy, which is considered important in the evolution of dramatic arts.
Justice has been one of the main concerns of tragedy writers in ancient Greece. Among the outstanding ancient works, Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy is three tragedies with a common theme: “Agamemnon”, “ Choephoroe “, and “ Erinyes “, which deal with the issue of justice and law. The theme of all three plays is misery resulting from crime that is passed on to future generations, and each crime is followed by another crime, and with each crime comes retribution. Our basic question in this article is: From Kitto’s perspective, which philosophical components are prominent in the Oresteia? Another question is: from what perspective on Aeschylus does the author’s analysis and interpretation of the meaning of justice in the trilogy stem? Is the meaning of justice here constant or variable?
The present study uses the descriptive analytical method to explain the obtained data from Humphrey Kitto’s book and other available library resources, qualitatively and theoretically. The novelty of Kitto’s perspective is revealed when he considers Aeschylus a tragedian with a religious perspective and analyzes and interprets the Oresteia trilogy based on it. He does not hold a strong belief in the historical perspective when analyzing tragedy. Our goal in this research is to demonstrate that the prominent philosophical components in this trilogy include divine will, human destiny, the limits of human ability, hubris and its excess, punishment and consequently, pain and suffering, justice, and law. According to Kitto, the component of justice holds greater significance among these elements.
One of the most important roles that can be imagined for justice is its semantic domain in Greek mythology and the character of “Dike” (the goddess of justice). The term “Dike” first appeared in the texts of the Hesiodic era and was an ideal that caught his attention. This idea of justice in Hesiod’s thought even has a mythological embodiment, which had no precedent before him. The figure of a goddess named Dike, who sits next to Zeus and, whenever she sees humans walking the path of injustice, she asks her father to bring them to justice for their deeds. 
In this tragedy, Zeus is the cause of everything, including what has happened to Agamemnon. Agamemnon overstepped his mission, so he was destroyed by Zeus, or by the gods, or by Artemis, as Zeus had destined and in the way he had foreseen.
Zeus, whoever he is, is sought after as the Infinite. Zeus is a victorious god who destroys anyone who ignores his message and achieves his desires through violence. He is the victor who established the law: Learn through suffering.
The essence of tragedy is the dramatic action that leads the protagonist to enlightenment through suffering. The movement from suffering to enlightenment is based on this fundamental idea that all tragic plays find the power of enlightenment in suffering. Aeschylus is a poet who looks at the world from a religious perspective. He wanted to firmly incorporate the universal image of God’s supremacy into his theater at certain moments and present it as a symbol of evolved consciousness. Understanding the factors that lead to tragic events in the lives of the heroes in Aeschylus’s works shows us that his message to humanity is that the cause of human suffering in life is sin, transgression of order and law, separation from the will of the gods, and pride, which must be avoided.
Therefore, it must be said that in the view of tragedians such as Aeschylus, the issue of man’s share of the gifts of life is completely dependent on the religious perception and popular belief of ancient Greek culture, a belief that considers not accepting one’s share and fate to be rebellion. It warns that if a person commits a rebellion, Dike and Zeus will immediately come to the wrongdoer to, in addition to disciplining and punishing him, restore order, customs, and law.
In the second part of the trilogy, Electra, who, along with her brother Orestes, seeks revenge against her mother, emphasizes justice. Here is a restatement of an old theme. A blow must require a blow. The sinner must suffer. Blood demands blood. They appeal to Zeus, who will punish the murderer. This is the same dark and hopeless picture we had in Agamemnon, full of threats, and the only source of light in this darkness is our faith that the rule of Zeus must be transformed into a rule of law and order. 
This is where the split between the Olympians and the gods of vengeance arises in the third play. From the chaos with which “Agamemnon” ends, Zeus and the Olympians will find a new path. Zeus will impose new laws at his own discretion if necessary. In this conflict, humanity is most deeply concerned, in a way that its outcome depends on social and political stability and the replacement of anarchism and tyranny.
Aeschylus considers justice to be the maintenance of hierarchy and order in the cosmic and human world and considers any violation of this hierarchy, which manifests itself in grudge, revenge, debauchery, excess, rebellion, envy, anger, and pride, to be worthy of punishment. Here, the meaning of justice is constant, but its examples are different. In the first play, the violent aspect of justice (Themis) is highlighted, which manifests itself in blind and ruthless revenge. However, this cycle of violence must be stopped by creating a new meaning of justice. Therefore, moving from the first and second plays to the third play, another example of it emerges, based on collective will, rationality, and human law, aligned with the will of the gods and divine principles (dike), where there is no longer any blind and ruthless revenge.
Ultimately, it can be said that Humphrey Kitto analyzes the trilogy based on Aeschylus’s religious perspective, as Aeschylus sees the hand of Zeus and his will in everything and everywhere.