(Godfrey) Blended Mythology

* The House of Atreus was one of the unluckiest families in Greek mythology.

* Murder, corruption, and other terrible acts took place in this family from one generation to the next.

* This story shows how terrible acts could cause a form of religious pollution, passed down through a family from generation to generation.

* It also shows that the gods were not always just or fair.

* The sufferings and impossible choices of the family made them ideal subjects for Greek tragedy, and many plays were written about them.

* Stories such as this held a moral message, that crimes against nature and the gods would be severely punished.

* The stories of the House of Thebes and the House of Atreus also illustrated how revenge could only cause a cycle of more death and suffering.