Electra

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Electra By Euripides

By Jeffrey Aikens

Electra Summary

The setting is “Before the hut of the PEASANT, in the country on the borders o Argolis . It is just before sunrise.”

The mood is rancorous at times and somber.

The main characters are Electra, Orestes, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Electra was the motivation behind the killing of Aegithus and Clytemnestra. Orestes is Electra's brother and the one who actually carried out all the vengeful plans for their mother and her mate. Aegisthus is Electra's mate and king of Mycenae also the murderer of Electra's grand father Atreus.

The main conflict is between Electra and Clytemnestra. Electra was unwilling to forgive or comprehend the act of Clytemnestra killing her father. What was understood on Electra's part is that a woman should respect and uphold the man of the house no matter what ill will he commits, “For in all things should every woman of sense yield to her husband. Whoso thinketh otherwise comes not within the scope of what I say. Remember, mother, those last words of thine, allowing me free utterance before thee.”

The climax of the play occurred when Orestes and Electra murdered their mother, “I threw my mantle o'er them and began the sacrifice by plunging the sword into my mother's throat.”

The conclusion occurred after the sinful where they realized the horrible mistake that was made and couldn't help but feel grief from it, “Tears are all too weak for this, brother; and I am the guilty cause. Ah, woe is me! How hot my fury burned against the mother that bare me!” When it seemed that all hope was lost the Dioscuri appeared and past down judgment.

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Electra Favorite Quotes

These were the quotes in Electra written by Euripides that I truly liked.

This quote expressed to me that judging someone is not an easy task especially by possessions, physical attributes and your status among society. And those who do it according to these guidelines are wrong for doing so. For people that are of humble birth may come from the most terrible surroundings but their character that emerges from the ruble most commonly sets precedence in that of the presence of the wealthy. “Ah! There is no sure mark to recognize a man's worth; for human nature hath in it an element of confusion. For I have seen ere now the son of noble sire prove himself a worthless knave, and virtuous children sprung from evil parents; likewise dearth in a rich man's spirit and in a poor man's frame a mighty soul.” (Pg 20, Paragraph 2)

This quote expressed to me people of wealth and status have superior rights over commoners but when you take away that power and money all you are left with is an empty shell. The market place a symbol of spirituality, hard work and intellect, when you place a person of so called “noble birth” in that position among common people who work hard just to get by and live by the word of the Gods. You truly see how they lack in prominent characteristics that the children of the Gods share. “ye self-deceivers, swollen with idle fancies; learn to judge men by their converse, and by their habits decide who are noble. Such are they who rule aright both states and families; while those forms of flesh, devoid of intellect, are but figure-heads in the market-place.” (Pg 20, Paragraph 20)

This quote expressed to me Electra's plight due to her father's murder and the sacrifices she had made because of it. “King friends, my heart is not set on festivity, nor do necklaces of gold cause any flutter in my sorrowing bosom, nor will I stand up with the maidens of Argos to beat my foot in the mazy dance. Tears have been my meat day and night; ah misery! See my unkempt hair, my tattered dress; are they fit for a princess, a daughter of Agamemnon…” (Pg 7, Paragraph 1)

This quote expressed to me the harness of reality when you are down on luck and in your time of need you may not have a friend to count on. “My son, thou hast no friend now in thy hour of adversity. No! That is a piece of rare good luck, to find another share thy fortunes alike for better and for worse. Thou art of every friend completely reft, all hope is gone from thee; be sure of what I tell thee…” (Pg 26 Paragraph 2)

This quote expressed to me the mystical and also extraordinary way of life back in the ancient times where you could actually receive an omen from organs. Now Aegisthus was examining the entrails, separating them in his hands, and as he was bending down, they brother rose on tiptoe and smote him on the spine, severing the bones of his back; and his body gave one convulsive shudder from head to foot and writhed in the death agony.” (Pg 37 last seven lines)

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Electra Character Analysis

Electra is one of the most famous of female characters in literature. Some words that help to describe her are persistent, stubborn and contradictory. She is considered a very strong and independent woman but her ideas about society down play her character and all other rights women should be entitled to.

The murder of her mother would never have been accomplished if it wasn't for Electra's persistence. Electra was very keen in her plan of execution and she would do or say anything in order to see it through. Electra cleverly manipulated Orestes into doing what she said by irritating him with degrading names, “Turn not coward! Cast not thy manliness away!” Orestes wilted under the pressure and followed along with the hideous plan.

Throughout the play it is conceived that Electra has a true natural gift for holding a grudge some would even call her stubborn. After she was exiled the pain of her father being murdered stayed with her. All the emotions she felt was geared towards revenge in the hope that one day her mother would rue the day she came in contact with her, “In what city and house art thou a slave, leaving thy suffering sister behind in the halls of our fathers to drain the cup of bitterness? Oh! Come, great Zeus, to set me free from this life of sorrow, and to avenge my sire in the blood of his foes, bringing the wanderer home to Argos .”

Electra was the type of person who made it very clear to people how she felt. But her thoughts on marriage and men and women in society had a very negative contrast with her character she expresses these ideas with a speech directed at Aegisthus corpse, “Yet ‘tis shameful for the wife and not the man to rule the house; wherefore I loathe those children, who are called in the city no the sons of the man, their father, but of their mother. For if a man makes great match above his rank, there is no talk of the husband but only of the wife. Herein lay thy grievous error, due to ignorance…As for thy sins with women, I pass them by, ‘tis not for maiden's lips to mention them, but I will shrewdly hint thereat. And then thy arrogance! Because forsooth thou hadst a palace and some looks to boast. May I never have a husband with a girl's face, but one that bears him like a man! For the children of these latter cling to a life of arms, while those, who are so fair to see, do only serve to grace the dance.” For a woman in her position you would think she would favor women taking charge and having more responsibility but unfortunately she feels a woman's place is in the home.

The dominance of her character and the intent of her motives have made Electra timeless. Revenge a powerful emotion Electra knew well was the force behind her whole being. She was so focused on the murderer of her father that she distanced herself away from her brother and brought even more shame to the family name. No one can truly say Electra was evil because even though she had the freewill to make her own choices. Every decision she made was guided by doom and that was the cause of a higher power.

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Electra Letter to the Author

Dear Euripides,

The play Electra has a very vivid combination of death and sorrow. The blindness and wrath of Electra and her brother engulfs the play and leads into a direction of anguish. I thought Electra was a wonderful piece of literature but I was more intrigued by the events that lead up to this play. However, Electra is very passionate about her ideas. I like this about a character because they have the power to set the tone of the play, “Myself, too, in a poor man's hut do dwell, wasting my soul with grief, an exile from my father's halls, here by the scarred hill-side; while my mother is wedded to a new husband in a marriage stained by blood.” With so many characters in the rich history of the house of Atreus, what made you choose Electra's point of view? The way you depicted Electra's emotion and her whole reason for being was amazing. I wouldn't change a thing about this play because this story gives another point of view of the curse on the house of Atreus. I feel it's a wonderful thing when you have a lot of different views because it gives the reader a chance to develop their own ideas based on a number of literary works than rather one. It's like a puzzle, if the reader takes the opportunity to discover other literary works that evolve the same story they have the beautiful opportunity of making the connection between works and seeing the big picture overall.

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Electra Creative Writing

Oh, what a wonderful picture it must have been to see,

At the right place and time with the plot it all was like a dream.

A sword that shined so bright you could not help but see your reflection,

The screams of Clytemnestra and her bloody body complexion,

A vivid scene of colors and a roar of commotion,

Could not stop the vengeance a well protected emotion,

Ah, Phoebus your oracle so ill-advised,

The slaughter induced by the children's hands may well cause their demise.

Out of the hut, two godly figures appeared above with no such great surprise,

By having the pain of watching their sister being butchered from afar with their eyes,

If you listen closely you might hear Electra's cries,

Two corpse on the ground one just and the other truly unwise,

It is judgment day for the royal pair,

Orestes and Electra in a twirl of despair,

There are no more chances now to be received,

Electra and Pylades were destined to leave,

While Orestes soul would be tormented by furies with no time to grieve.

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Electra Literary Connection

Electra in many ways is similar to Orgon in Tartuffe written by Moliere. Both characters are very passionate about their ideas but are disillusioned to the consequences of their actions. Electra was so blinded by her revenge that she didn't realize the wrongs that she placed on her family on earth and in the world below. Orgon in same instance was so blinded by Tartuffe's religious façade he didn't realize the conniving thief that was trying to rob him of every thing he owned.

It seems like everything is controlled by the gods but at the same time mortals like Electra have freewill to make their own choices. Back then there wasn't a police force there to peruse criminals so in many cases people took the law in there own hands. However, when a person commits a heinous act it is not overlooked because sometimes the gods intervene and give judgment, “Yet as we fly through heaven's expanse we help not the wicked; but whoso in his life loves piety and justice, all such we free from troublous toils and save. Wherefore let no man be minded to act unjustly, or with men foresworn set sail; such the warning I, a god, to mortals give.”

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Electra Movie Synopsis

Tantalus was the favorite mortal among all the gods but he despised them and decided to feed his son to the Gods to fool them. But the Gods knew immediately and punished him severely and sent him to the pool of Hades. Pelops was restored back to life and given the chance to live curse free. The reason being the gods felt he suffered enough for what his father did to him. Pelops married princess Hippodamia and had two sons named Atreus and Thyestes.

The curse of King Tantalus of Sipylus was surely passed down to Atreus and his household. “Atreus made a promise to the goddess Artemis that he would sacrifice to her the finest of all his flocks.” When he discovered a ram with a fleece of gold he removed the hide and hid it so that only the flesh was burnt upon Artemis's alter. The result of his actions only fulfilled half of the promise that was made.

Aerope the wife of Atreus overtime became overwhelmed with passion for Thyestes and told her husband's secret. Out of greed Thyestes promised to be her lover forever and without hesitation she gave him the fleece. When it was time to choose a king out of the house of Pelops the council was having a hard time suggesting who should be king and Thyestes proclaimed the person with the Golden Fleece should be king. Atreus was fine with this because he didn't know about the exchange between his wife and brother. So Thyestes produced the fleece and became king.

Zeus intervened and by way of Hermes told Atreus to tell the council the king should be the person who could reverse the sun's direction. Thyestes not knowing Zeus was involved and thinking his brother was crazy agreed. With the wave of a hand these events took place. Atreus became the rightful king and banished Thyestes. Soon after he realized the affair that took place between his wife and brother and decided to bring Thyestes back and throw a banquet in his honor. There he had Thyestes sons butchered then put into a stew which was served. After Thyestes finished his meal Atreus told him what had happen and showed their heads and hands then banished him once more...

However, Thyestes got him back by having a son named Aegisthus with his daughter Pelopina. Without true knowledge of her identity Atreus married Pelopina while she was pregnant. The child grew into manhood and killed Atreus. In which the throne was seized by Thyestes again. “But before long Agamemnon returned and proclaimed himself king.” Thyestes was forced out of the country and never returned again.

Now Agamemnon has returned from Trojan War and a lot has happen during Agamemnon's absence, his wife Clytemnestra has found a new man named Aegisthus the very same man who killed his father. Now fed up with his horrible actions, Clytemnestra plots to kill him; her anger that was stored for more than 10 years was the result of Agamemnon having women the on side and the sacrificing of their beloved daughter Iphigenia for his arrogance and the Trojan War.

Clytemnestra was successful in her plan. Aegisthus became king and Agamemnon's children Orestes and Electra were sent away. This happened to many people that were close to Agamemnon for fear that one day they would seek revenge for his murder. The real sad part is that he wasn't even given a proper burial after his death. This was the worst thing that could ever happen to a mortal on earth.

At the right place and time we saw Electra married to a peasant. Soon after two men came along one named Pylades and the other named Orestes. But to find out what has happened since his absence Orestes pretends to be the friend of Orestes. After some time has passed Orestes is recognized by an old servant of the family who knew him since he was a baby. Soon after the siblings began plotting the revenge for their father's murder, Electra was the main culprit behind these acts of vengeance and Orestes was like her muscle. He successfully killed Aegisthus during a sacrificial event by bludgeoning him to death with a cleaver. The end result was him becoming the king of Mycenae .

Unfortunately what was left was the murder of their mother. Orestes did not want to fulfill this task but through persistence from Electra he painstakingly did it. Although it was just it is a great sin for the children to kill the parents just like there is a consequence for every action there was a severe penalty for this crime.

Greek Dramatists Style Comparison

In theater there was one actor who portrayed many characters with different mask and performed expressive dances and choral poetry. That was until Aeschylus came along and sparked a new form of art in theater. The “Father of Tragedy” was the title he obtained as he set new precedence in drama. He was the first to introduce the second actor which revolutionized drama and “He also attempted to involve the chorus directly in the action of the play.” However, Sophocles took that a step further by introducing the third actor and doing a way with the trilogy form because Aeschylus used three tragedies to tell a single story. So he chose to make each tragedy it own separate story by shorting the action and creating a greater dramatic possibility.

Euripides was a free thinker who wasn't confined to the basic ideas and superstitions his fellow Athenians shared around him. It's possible to conclude that he was an out cast from the time he started generating his own ideas to his death. Due to the fact he realized all the terrible things that were happening around him he had a very pessimistic view of life which showed in his plays. Euripides shared this partial negative perceptiveness with Sophocles and Aeschylus. I figure to write all these tragedies, inspiration has to come from somewhere and why not life? So in most of his plays he was set on bringing the evils of his society to light and have his character represent that which gave lead way into personal issue like exploring their sexuality, superstition and coward ness.

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Electra Movie Bibliography

These image sources were used for the movie

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic2.htm

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic5.htm

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic14.htm

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic33.htm

http://www.worcesterart.org/Images/Collection/Photos/European/1991.47.jpg

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic16.htm

http://www.mainlesson.com/books/church/tragedians/zpage158.gif

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic18.htm

http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/iphig/pic22.htm