Electra
Also known as: Elektra, Electra (Sophocles)
Sophocles’ tragedy dramatizes Electra’s unyielding grief and thirst for justice after Agamemnon’s murder. With her brother Orestes, she executes a divinely sanctioned revenge against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, restoring the house of Atreus through blood and deception.
Description
Set before the palace at Mycenae, the play follows Electra, who remains in mourning and defiance under the rule of her mother Clytemnestra and her consort Aegisthus. Orestes returns from exile, guided by Apollo’s oracle, and—disguised with his tutor—tests loyalties while spreading false news of his own death. Electra’s famous lament over an urn she believes contains Orestes’ ashes intensifies the drama until brother and sister recognize each other and conspire to avenge Agamemnon. Unlike Aeschylus’ treatment, Sophocles centers the psychology and steadfast will of Electra, compressing time and focusing action within a single day. Recognition is achieved not through tokens but through revelation and resolve; the murders occur offstage, and the ending lacks a theophany or juridical settlement, leaving the restoration of order to human agency aligned with divine command.
Historiography
Electra survives through the medieval manuscript tradition for Sophocles, supplemented by papyrus fragments and ancient scholia that preserve variant readings and interpretive notes. The play’s date remains debated, but stylistic features suggest a late work. Renaissance humanists reintroduced the tragedy to Western stages, and modern criticism contrasts Sophocles’ concentrated moral focus with Aeschylus’ theological arc and Euripides’ ironic realism.
Date Notes
Date is uncertain; often placed late in Sophocles’ career, with proposals ranging from the 420s to shortly after 413 BCE.
Themes
Major Characters
- Electra
- Orestes
- Clytemnestra
- Aegisthus
- Chrysothemis
- Pylades
Myths
- The Recognition of Orestes
- The Slaying of Aegisthus
- The Death of Clytemnestra
Facts
- The action unfolds in front of the palace at Mycenae within a single day (unity of place and time).
- Electra’s central lament over a supposed urn of Orestes is a hallmark scene of Greek tragedy.
- Recognition occurs through direct revelation, not through physical tokens as in Aeschylus.
- Pylades remains effectively silent, consistent with Sophoclean stage practice for the role.
- Murders of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus take place offstage and are reported by messengers.
- Apollo’s command provides divine sanction but no deus ex machina appears at the end.
- The Chorus is composed of local Mycenaean women sympathetic to Electra.
- The play belongs to the wider Atreid myth-cycle concerning Agamemnon’s house.
- Dating is contested; many scholars situate the play late in Sophocles’ career.
- Electra’s unwavering resolve distinguishes Sophocles’ version from Euripides’ more ironic treatment.