Eliot's Belief in the Use of Mythical:
Technique and his Showing the Continuity of Time Past and Time Present:
Eliot believed that in the modern age in order to organize his disparate, heterogeneous material the modern dramatist must use the mythical - technique which implies a constant manipulation, of parallelism and contrast between the past and the present. In this way the dramatist would be able to show the continuity of time past and time present. The past would thus serve as a criticism of the present, and the theme of the play would acquire a universal appeal and significance. The Family Reunion is an excellent example of Eliot's use of mythical technique, the way in which he uses Greek myth and legend to enrich the texture of his plays.
Eumenides or Furies, the Greek Goddesses of Vengeance:
Eumenides is the name given to Erinyes or the Latin Furies from a dread of calling them by their true name. They were the Greek goddesses of vengeance, and the daughter of Gaia, begotten of the blood of the wounded Uranus, and at length reckoned three in numbers – Alectro, Tisiphone and Megaera. They were conceived of as haunting the wicked on earth and scourging them in hell; they were of the court of Pluto and the executioners of his wrath. Eliot's use of the Eumenides is very near to the Aeschylian conception. In Aeschylian trilogy called Eumenides, the Furies are represented as the implacable avengers of bloodshed and every other sin.
Similarity of the Central Situation of that of Ancient Myth of Orestes:
In the classical myth of Orestes, Clytemnestra was responsible for the death of Agamemnon and it became Orestes’ duty to avenge the death of his father. He is directed by the avenging Goddesses and he comes to Argos where he kills his mother. He is pursued by the Furies until this sin is atoned for. The central situation of The Family Reunion is quite similar to this ancient myth with changes corresponding to the changes of place and time. Instead of Argoes we have a country-house setting in the north of England during the post war years. Lady Monchensey, incharge of the country-house and though not in exactly similar situations she was responsible for the premature death of her husband. In place of the open intrigue plotted by Aegusthus and Clytemnestra, we have the hint of an unhappy marriage, of the lonely husband and wife who never could understand each other. The marriage was saved for a while even though the coldness remained until Amy had three sons and then they separated by mutual consent. The main parallelism to the Orestes myth is in Harry's return to Wishwood after eight years and how he, though unwittingly causes the death of his mother. It is his decision to leave Wishwood that causes Amy's death.
Furies’ Transformation into Eumenides:
In the Greek myth the goddess Athena intervenes and the Furies are transformed into Eumenides, the well-meaning ones, who no longer haunt and pursue, but help and bless. In Eliot's play, Agatha his spiritual guardian, enables Harry to gain an insight into the true nature of his sin, and this realisation results in spiritual regeneration and awakening. The Furies undergo a corresponding change and become benevolent angels whom Harry would henceforth seek and pursue.
Suffering and Expiation and Redeeming the Family from the Curse:
Under the guidance of Furies Harry would suffer and expiate, and thus redeem the family from the curse that has fallen it. Thus he becomes a Christ-figure who suffers not for himself, but for the good of others. In other words , to the Greek Orestes myth Eliot has added the Christian myth of original or heredity sin , and thus has not only heightened the richness and complexity of his play , but has made it more acceptable to Christian audiences.
Happening to Harry, a Unique Phenomenon of the Modern Age:
By finding a parallel to the story of Harry both in the Greek myth and the Christian myth, Eliot has demonstrated the continuity of the past and the present, and the universality of human situations and experiences. By the use of mythical technique, Eliot has shown that what happens to Harry and his family is not a unique or private phenomenon of the modern age. Such things have also happened in the past, in all ages and countries. In this way, Eliot is able to affirm the operation of certain, inflexible laws, which governs the destiny of man.
Furies’ Playing a Crucial Role in the Play:
The Furies serve both as the supernatural agents and as the religious symbols indicating Harry's progress from a state of ignorance to that of spiritual enlightenment. The Furies that haunt Harry by their objective presence indicate that the source of Harry's suffering does not lie in himself but in something beyond his own knowledge. They, at, first, haunt Harry like the fateful spirits of revenge, but towards the end of the play appear as the bright angels whom he would gladly follow.
Harry's Discovering the Necessity of Christianity:
The Furies follow Harry not for what he himself has done, but for a sin of his father, the origin of the curse under whose compulsion the hero has acted. In this supernatural predicament, Harry discovers the necessity of Christianity, for resolution can come only by accepting an original sin which was not his own but his father's , only by following the Furies instead of seeking to escape in flight.
Furies’ Symbolising Harry's Sense of Guilt:
The Furies symbolise Harry's sense of guilt and they also symbolise the powers beyond that govern human destiny, the operation of the inflexible laws whose working none can escape. It is to escape them that Harry comes to Wishwood, but as soon as he enters, he feels unseen eyes staring at him. They are visible to him alone, and not to other members of the family, who are much amazed at his distraction. The attention is thus at once focussed on the spiritual agony of the Chief protagonist and his torturing sense of guilt. His confession of sin is taken as merely a delusion, the result of mental and physical exhaustion. All the same, his uncle, Charles, decides to question Downing about the crime, and thus it is the Furies who set in motion the superficial drama of crime, detection and punishment.
Eumenides’ Saving Harry from Temptation of Worldly Possession:
They appear to him at the climax of Harry's interview with Marry. Harry is tempted by her offer of love, marriage and a happy comfortable life lived on material plane. But the Eumenides save him from this temptation and a wrong election. Harry is conscious of their presence, but not Mary. In this way, he realizes that she is stupid and obtuse and rejects her and the way of life which she offers.
Eliot's Failure of Adjustment between the Greek Story and the Modern Situation:
Eliot has admitted that the deepest flaw of all in the play is the failure of adjustment between the Greek story and the modern situation. He felt that he should either have struck closer to Aeschylus or else taken a great deal more liberty with his myth. The most awkward difficulty arose in the introduction of the Furies who looked puzzling and entirely out of place. One more flaw in the adjustment of modern situation with the ancient myth is that the play leaves us in doubt whether to consider the play tragedy of the mother or the salvation of the son. The two situations are not reconciled. A proper understanding of the situation ought to make us sympathetic with the son rather than the mother because he is doing a duty which happens to be a crime but withal a crime exalted to duty.
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