Electra – Sophocles

Electra
• The story of the play ‘Electra’ is part of a longer story about the royal family of Mycenae.
• Euripides wrote a play called ‘Electra’ at about the same time.
• The story of Electra is the middle play in the trilogy ‘The Orestes’ by Aeschylus.
• The three plays portray the royal family of
Mycenae, the House of Artemis
• Sophocles was aware of the play by Aeschylus when he wrote ‘Electra’

Electra
• The version by Aeschylus focuses on the story of the family with Electra being part of the story
• Sophocles focuses on the character of Electra and her position in the Palace. The audience is aware that her brother Orestes has returned to kill their mother and their stepfather.
• In the play by Euripides the characters of Electra and Orestes are nasty and diabolical. This is not true of the play by Sophocles.

The Story
• The mother of Electra and Orestes, Clytemnestra had killed their father Agamemnon with the help of her lover Aegisthus.
• Orestes has disappeared and Electra and her sister, Chrysothemis, are still living in the palace
• Electra wants to kill her mother and her lover.
• This is what has happened before the play starts.

The play takes place in front of
Agamemnon's Palace in Mycenae. Three men walk on stage:

Orestes

Pylades, a friend of Orestes

Orestes's trainer
It's morning and the three discuss their plans after hearing the command of
Apollo.

Electra
• Apollo has commanded Orestes to take revenge on his mother for the death of his father and that he must do this on his own without the help of an army.
• The trainer wants to go to the palace and announce that Orestes had died in Delphi.
• Orestes and Pylades go to Agamemnon's grave with offerings and in order to collect them so that they can deceive everyone into thinking that it is Orestes's ashes that are there.

• Electra appears on her own. In a speech she greets the morning and speaks sadly of her grief over her father.
• The chorus appears – 15 women of Mycenae.
The chorus sympathises with Electra in her bereavement. They are concerned about her state of mind.
• In the next section Electra's sister, Chrysothemis, comes in carrying offerings to put on her father's grave. The two disagree on their attitude towards their mother. Electra wishes to challenge her, Chrysothemis wants a quiet, less confrontational life.

Electra
• Electra succeeds in persuading her sister to throw the offerings aside as the gods of revenge are about to take revenge on her mother.
• Clytemnestra appears. Clytemnestra explains that she wasn't alone in killing their father but the gods also played a part as he had sacrificed their sister, Iphigenia. But Electra challenges her by asking why she had taken Aegisthus as a lover and then married him.

Electra
• The trainer comes in and announces that
Orestes is dead. Clytemnestra is happy, Electra grieves. Electra refuses to enter the palace now.
• Electra's sister says that there are new sacrifices on their father's grave. She believes they are from Orestes. But Electra says that Orestes is dead and that she must now kill her mother.
• The choir sings a song of sympathy.

Electra
• Orestes arrives with his servant and tells Electra who he is. Electra is jubilant
• From here until the end of the play Orestes goes to the house and kills his mother.
• Aegisthus comes to the palace expecting to see the body of Orestes but he sees his wife's body.
• Aegisthus is killed by Orestes and his servant.
• In the end the choir says that justice has now been done.