Eumenides is the final play of the Oresteia. Orestes, pursued by the Furies, ancient spirits who punish crimes within a family, seeks help from Apollo and then from Athena in Athens. The goddess sets up a court to judge his case, a scene often seen as an imagining of the origins of Athenian law. The play turns from revenge toward persuasion, civic order and the reconciliation of old powers with new ones. It is both a drama of the gods and a tribute to Athens.