Electra in Greek Tragedy: Sophocles vs. Euripides

The mythical cycle of Argos involves many well-known stories and characters, such as Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, and Orestes. One of the only surviving tragic trilogies centers on these characters and stories: the Oresteia by Aeschylus. Despite the popularity of all these mythical figures, one character named Electra has had one of the most significant impacts on studies of women in tragedy, and she appears in the works of all three major tragedians. This article will focus on her two most prominent tragedies, both titled Electra, by Sophocles and Euripides.

Electra was a mythical figure who gained much of her popularity from her appearances in tragedy, although her myth did exist outside of it. She was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, with the former being one of the major Greek leaders in the Trojan War and the latter being the sister of Helen of Troy and a princess of Sparta.

Electra had multiple siblings, but the most notable in myth and tragedy are Orestes, her brother, and Iphigenia, her sister. By the events of most of the myths Electra features in, Iphigenia was sacrificed by Agamemnon on the way to Troy to appease the goddess of the hunt, Artemis.

Electra is an interesting figure in tragedy for a few reasons. First, she appears in many more plays than most mythical figures (at least that we know of), including Libation Bearers by Aeschylus, Electra by Sophocles, and Electra by Euripides. Second, portrayals of Electra can greatly vary between tragedies, to the point where her relationships with other characters differ. Third, she has been the subject of frequent attention in classical reception, both across the past few centuries and in recent years.

An Overview of Electra’s Myth

Before diving into two of the major interpretations of her character, it may help to provide a general overview of her mythology. As mentioned previously, her stories vary between authors, but many of the significant details remain the same. Electra’s stories almost always center around the murder of her mother Clytemnestra.

As background information, Clytemnestra killed her husband and the king of Argos, Agamemnon, after his return from the Trojan War. Clytemnestra did this for two reasons: Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter, Iphigenia, on the way to Troy to appease Artemis, and he enslaved Cassandra, a Trojan prophet cursed by Apollo, and brought her back home as his mistress. After killing her husband, Clytemnestra and her lover ruled Argos until the return of Orestes, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra’s son. Electra, who was neglected by her mother, worked with her brother to kill their mother in retaliation for their deceased father.

The extent of Electra’s cooperation varies based on the version, but she is always involved in some way. These differences in her mythology will be addressed in the next two sections in detail.

Sophocles’ Electra follows a more traditional account of the myth. The tragedy opens with Orestes returning to Argos after spending much of his youth in Phocis with his cousin, Pylades. Orestes conspires with an old tutor to send a message of his death in the Pythian games, and this lie is believed by Clytemnestra, her lover Aegisthus, and Electra. Electra’s primary appearance in the tragedy occurs shortly after Orestes’ entrance. As Orestes remains out of her eyesight, Electra discusses her situation with the chorus.

She begins by mourning her father, Agamemnon, and the unjust death he faced at the hands of her mother and Aegisthus. Killing a family member is considered to be one of the worst sins in Greek tragedy, hence the particular anger at Clytemnestra going unpunished (even though Aegisthus delivered the killing blow).

As Electra mourns her father and discusses her hopeless situation, the chorus suggests that Orestes may soon return, which Electra hopes for. She wants Orestes’ help in deciding what to do about Aegisthus and their mother, but her sister, Chrysothemis, believes that they should not pray for their brother’s return. After all, Orestes was not welcome by Clytemnestra or Aegisthus.

There is a series of long exchanges between Electra and her sister and then Electra and Clytemnestra, ending in the revelation that Orestes has died, increasing Electra’s grief. Believing her brother to be gone and without any hope of getting revenge for her father, Electra decides to try and kill Aegisthus herself, asking her sister for help.

As she and her sister talk, Orestes approaches and soon reveals himself to Electra. As soon as she realizes it is him, they unite in their plan to kill Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra dies first, off-stage like in all tragedies, and Aegisthus soon follows. Although we do not see the action, we get dialogue of Electra encouraging her brother, with some of her words being quite cruel:

Clytaemnestra
Within.
Oh, I am wounded!

 

Electra
Stab her doubly, if you can!

 

Clytaemnestra
Within.
Ah, wounded again!

 

Electra
Would that Aegisthus, too, were wounded!

Sophocles’ depiction of Electra is defined first by her grief and then by her need for revenge. She doesn’t participate in the killing herself, but she urges her brother to stab their mother additional times. Electra also pushes for Orestes to kill Aegisthus quicker after he hesitates, showing no hesitation herself.

This version of Electra is emotional—the entire tragedy is centered around her feelings toward Aegisthus, her mother, her father, and her brother—but she uses these strong emotions to urge others to act for her.

Euripides gained a reputation for writing unconventional characters and interpreting mythology in unique ways, both in the ancient world and in the modern reception of Greek tragedy. Sophocles’ depiction of Electra was certainly unusual in that it centered on a woman desiring revenge and even encouraging violence. However, Euripides takes this a step further. In his Electra, the princess is no longer a princess of Argos; instead, she was married off to a farmer outside of the city-state. After Agamemnon’s murder, Clytemnestra was worried that any royal child Electra would have may seek revenge, so she exiled her daughter and married her below her social status to solve her predicament.

The entirety of the tragedy takes place outside of Argos in the area around the small house of Electra and her husband, an unnamed farmer. The major points of the plot are the same as in Sophocles’ Electra, but there are many intriguing differences. Orestes and Pylades still journey from Phocis back to Mycenae, but Orestes goes to Electra’s house instead of Argos. He doesn’t fake his death, but he spends some time gauging his sister’s feelings toward their mother and Aegisthus before revealing his identity. Electra still wishes for revenge for her deceased father, but she makes no move to take action on her own until her brother returns. However, as soon as Orestes’ identity is revealed, the two begin to plan for the deaths of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra with the help of their father’s old tutor.

Interestingly enough, Electra plans for her mother’s death while Orestes plans for Aegisthus’ death. Euripides has the two deceive their mother, similar to Sophocles with Orestes’ fake death, but this time, Electra dictates the deception. She has the tutor tell her mother that she has recently given birth because Clytemnestra’s obligations as her mother would mean that she must come to her daughter’s side, despite Electra’s status. In the meantime, Orestes goes to where Aegisthus is performing a sacrifice for a feast outdoors and kills him. He returns to Electra with the body, and they lie in wait for their mother. Based on the chorus’ dialogue, it seems that Electra and Orestes killed their mother together after she arrived. They both enter the house, and Clytemnestra begs them not to kill her. After a few moments, they both exit, covered in blood:

Chorus Leader

But here they come from the house, defiled in the newly shed blood of their mother, a triumphal rout, evidence of the pitiable sacrifice.

Remorse follows, killing their mother, even if Electra and Orestes believe it to be just. To punish them for their actions, Castor and Pollux, twin gods and brothers to Clytemnestra, appear. Electra has to marry Pylades while Orestes is exiled and sent on the run from the furies (which may be a reference to Aeschylus’ Eumenides).

The curtain closes after Electra and Orestes say farewell, unlikely to meet again.

Sophocles’ Electra and Euripides’ Electra are not the only tragedies or ancient works that center on the mythology of Electra, but they have garnered the most attention over the years, both for different reasons. Sophocles presents a story of a grief-ridden Electra who lost her father, her standing in Argos, and, in her mind, her brother. She is desperate for revenge, but she has no one to support her plans until the return of Orestes. Even then, her brother is the one who does the killing of both Aegisthus and Clytemnestra while she waits outside. Despite her more passive role, Electra encourages her brother with words, even getting angry whenever he hesitates and does not stab their mother enough times.

Euripides’ Electra is also grieving her father and former station, but more than that, she is angry. She is angry at her brother, who has never returned, and at her insulting marriage situation. Despite her strong emotions, she does not make plans on her own until Orestes arrives. Once he does, she willingly cooperates with him and the tutor to plan Aegisthus and Clytemnestra’s deaths. She even takes control of the planning for her mother’s death, and when Orestes returns to assist her, they both stab her. However, despite her more active role, Electra shows remorse following Clytemnestra’s death, almost immediately regretting her actions.

The contrasts between Electra’s character in Sophocles and Euripides are fascinating. In one, she is more passive in the murders of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra yet less remorseful of the violence that befalls them. In the other, she holds the sword herself with her brother, but she is horrified at what she has done. Neither version of Electra is black-and-white, and both tragedians present a nuanced depiction of her. The attention Electra receives in these tragedies is unusual for a woman in Greek myth, with the only other exception possibly being Medea. She is allowed to be angry with a thirst for revenge, but she is also remorseful and grieving her previous life and father. By reading both tragedies in conversation with each other, we can gain a better understanding of ideas surrounding gender in the ancient world, and we can expand our knowledge of a significant mythical figure.