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For word of hate let word of hate be said, cries Justice. Stroke for bloody stroke must be paid. The one who acts must suffer. Three generations long this law resounds. (lines 311–314)

The chorus says these words at the end of their first section in the kommos. They are the mouthpieces of the primitive law of retribution, which mandated that blood be paid for with blood. One who failed to avenge the murder of a kinsman was as guilty as if he had committed the crime himself. Justice demands that evil deeds be punished by further evil deeds. The chorus says these words in order to stir up hate and anger in Orestes and Electra. They insist that the old order of law must be respected, and that Agamemnon's murderers must pay for their crimes. While the chorus celebrates Orestes's intention to kill the killers, they show little awareness or concern for his fate after he has completed the act. They focus only on the immediate claims of Justice, which demand that Orestes turn murderer himself. It will be up to Apollo and Athena in the Eumenides to break this cycle of bloodshed.

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