Sophocles's original Greek text was written in meter —while the dialogue was spoken, the choral odes were actually sung on stage. Sophocles used different meters to express different moods. If you get your hands on a good translation, reading the Chorus lines aloud should reveal this intentional setting of tone. On that note, remember that the style of the English translation is going to vary from translator to translator.
Electra listening to her mother's death is easily one of the most chilling scenes in drama, and I didn't recognize it as such until Anne Carson. This is a beautiful translation. Read it, then read the excellent introduction by Michael Shaw and Carson's stellar foreword, then read the play again. Greek tragedy's shadow is rarely allowed to stay this close to its body. In closing, here's one of the raddest things a chorus has ever said: The curses are working Under the ground dead men are alive with their black lips moving black mouths sucking on the soles of killers' feet Electra is no Antigone.
Either in story or character. Electra has all of the anger, but none of the agency. Simply put, she waits for Orestes to act instead of taking it upon herself. To be fair, Antigone's brothers were dead so that wasn't an option for her, but as a role model of honor Antigone is the clear winner. Both feature heroines, sisterly discourses on integrity versus following decree, and yet, Antigone appeals infinitely more to me.
Then again, I'm not a huge fan of Agamemnon so his d Electra is no Antigone. Then again, I'm not a huge fan of Agamemnon so his destruction never elicited empathy. While I loved the dialogue, the pacing of this Hamlet and Antigone caper was a bit rushed. The chorus was particularly effective, the atmosphere resonates with revenge. Electra pines but does not waste. Her timid sister cringes in comparison to this inferno of vengeance. Then suddenly she has a cohort and the circumstances of his arrival afford their nemesis interlopers opportunity to even further impugn their deeds—or do they?
Aegisthus, what were you thinking? There is a nobility in the Divine While I loved the dialogue, the pacing of this Hamlet and Antigone caper was a bit rushed. There is a nobility in the Divine. The plot was the only one pursued by three of the Greek masters Euripides and Aeschylus being the other two which invites comparisons, though apparently the chronology is regrettably unclear. Shelves: tragedy. Sophocles' take on Orestes' revenge 21 March This is probably not my favourite Sophoclean play, but then again after reading the Ajax and discovering that Ajax demonstrates the classic symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD , it is very hard to then jump into another play that pretty much has nothing to do with combat trauma.
It is probably a good thing though because what it means is that we have a variety of plays to consider as opposed to a collection of plays that deal with tra Sophocles' take on Orestes' revenge 21 March This is probably not my favourite Sophoclean play, but then again after reading the Ajax and discovering that Ajax demonstrates the classic symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD , it is very hard to then jump into another play that pretty much has nothing to do with combat trauma.
It is probably a good thing though because what it means is that we have a variety of plays to consider as opposed to a collection of plays that deal with trauma and its effects. However, that does not necessarily mean that we do not get into the mind of the characters in this play, it is just that we do not get into it the same way.
Electra is the only myth that we have that we have an extant play from all three playwrights, and the classical historians are delighted at that because we get to see how each of the three playwrights tackled the same story.
That I must agree is quite helpful as it allows a much better way to compare and contrast the styles of the playwrights. However I have read them in a different order to which they were written: I read the Euripidean play first and I have yet to get onto the Aeschylian play.
We do notice a significant difference as we move from Aeschylus to Sophocles, and then notice a further shift when we get to Euripides. My belief is that the difference between Sophocles and Euripides is like the difference between Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorsesee in that Spielberg writes movies for the popular crowd while Scorsesee's movies tend to be a lot more thought provoking.
This difference is quite noticeable in the Electra and it is these differences that we will explore here. First of all, in the Sophoclean play, Electra is unmarried and Clytaemnestra plays a much bigger role. There is a lot of dialogue between the characters and Sophocles seems to rest a lot more on the dialogue between the characters than does Aeschylus, who tends to focus more on the background story.
Here we have fully developed character interaction, and it is this interaction drives the story. Euripides was concerned with the struggle between Orestes' need for vengeance and the fact that to get it involved killing his mother.
We do not see any of that in the Sophoclean play. Sophocles is more concerned with seeing justice done and seeking justice for the murder of Agamemnon is of much greater importance than the question of whether it is right to murder one's mother to satisfy the blood guilt. However, we seem to always think of Agamemnon as being the innocent party in all of this. We see it in Euripides and we see it here in Sophocles. What we don't see, and in a sense I don't think the Greeks saw it as well, is that Agamemnon was not a nice person.
In a way there is little to no difference between Agamemnon and the Great King of Persia — both had imperialist ambitions. The Greeks did see a difference - Agamemnon was Greek. So I guess his imperial ambitions were okay, whereas Xerxes was Persian and as such his imperial ambitions were bad because it involved imposing them upon the Greeks.
As we have seen in some of the more modern renditions of the Trojan War such as in the movie Troy , Agamemnon is not portrayed as a man jumping to his brother's aid when his honour has been insulted.
Instead Agamemnon is using it as an excuse to extend his power beyond Greece and over to Asia Minor. In a way the Greeks have always considered that part of the world to be theirs, and maybe the victory at Troy gave them that excuse.
However, like the foolish man in the Bible who gloated about his wealth and then had it taken away from him, Agamemnon never got to enjoy his new found empire. He was killed upon his return to Argos by his wife and her lover. Oct 12, Mark rated it did not like it Shelves: plays. All right, all right, I didn't read this, but I did see it performed last night at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, and as good as the acting was, I realized scarcely five minutes in that Greek tragedy is not my cup of tea.
I kept wanting to scream at Electra -- "All right already, you're upset, your grieving, you're angry -- get on with it. There are only so many All right, all right, I didn't read this, but I did see it performed last night at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, and as good as the acting was, I realized scarcely five minutes in that Greek tragedy is not my cup of tea. There are only so many ways to say that your mother killed your father and she's a witch, or that your stepfather is a greedy, grasping coward.
And then we have our little misdirection when she thinks brother Orestes is dead, but in fact he's alive and ready for revenge. But the whole point of his "faked" death was so that mom and stepdad won't realize he's back and he'll be able to stealthily attack them, and yet there is no real attempt at stealth in the play, just some good old-fashioned gotcha.
I don't know, I'm either too modern or too unsophisticated to get why this is a classic, but meh, I don't. View all 4 comments. Anne Carson's translation was excellent and brought alive the tension in Electra's l Anne Carson's translation was excellent and brought alive the tension in Electra's language in the first key first parts of this play.
And the two introductions, one by Shaw and the other by Carson, pick apart the play and it's structure, revealing a lot more of what is there. The play itself is a tragedy with a "happy" ending. Electra is trapped, living with her mother and her mother's lover, she is in serious danger, and cannot marry and bear any children. She can only cooperate. But, her brother Orestes will rescue her by killing their own mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, with the help of some clever word play.
Orestes: This isn't my corpse—it's yours. Yours to look at, yours to eulogize. Aegisthus: Yes good point. I have to agree. You there—Clytemnestra must be about in the house— call her for me. Orestes: She is right before you. No need to look elsewhere. Clearly a happy play. Electra, despite her trap, becomes a presence. She maintains pitiful public devotion to her father, living miserably in mourning, and, in doing so, skillfully wields some power and influence. At the heart of this play is Electra's language and how she works over the other characters.
Then, at twenty-eight, in his first competition, his play took first prize, defeating even the renowned dramatist Aeschylus, who was thirty years his senior. This victory marked the commencement of a dramatic career that produced one hundred eighty plays, of which only seven have survived intact. Sophocles proved himself one of the great innovators of theatre, adding to the improvements that Aeschylus had already made in the field of tragedy. He introduced a third actor to the stage, abbreviated the choral components of Greek drama, and more fully developed the tragedy's moments of dialogue.
Importantly, Sophocles was the first to abandon the trilogy form. Other dramatists, such as Aeschylus, had previously used three tragedies to tell a single story. Sophocles, however, chose to make each tragedy its own entity. As a result, he had to pack the complete action of a story into a compressed form, which afforded new and uncharted dramatic possibilities. Sophocles was a deeply sensual dramatist. His language, though sometimes characterized by harsh words or complicated syntax, was for the most part grand and majestic.
In the end is justice really served after Clytemnestra and Aegisthus are tricked and butchered? Euripides takes precious time to establish that both of them, though traitors and murderers are not 'villains' and even provokes the reader to sympathize with Clytemnestra. This is in contrast with Electra's character who doesn't wish to account for the mutual guilt her parents share and has an absolutist approach, expecting her mother to have remained bound by her failed marriage and pointing out undeserved accusations to her mother, a behavior that I can't help but believe stems from her dissatisfaction with her own fall from grace and resulting resentment rather than absolute support of her father.
It's a very interesting book and Euripides is becoming one of my favorite playwrights. He employs parody, sarcasm, pokes subtle fun at different literary traditions and take a a stance that is both clever and unconventional. A beautiful tragedy by the great ancient Greek playwright Euripides! The play is centered on revenge and justice, where the children of Clytemnestra, Electra and her brother Orestes avenge the murder of their own father by the hands of his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegistus at the end of the play.
For example, we see that Orestes is hesitant to kill his mother when the time arrives, partly because he does not want to commit a matricide, but more driven by his sense of filial duties toward the mother who brought him.
I also liked to see the mother willing to help her pregnant daughter with her first baby, which shows that even if she knew that her daughter hated her, still she had motherly feelings toward her daughter — That was not the case with the other plays. One aspect the play seems to shed lights on was the gender role as imposed by the patriarchal culture of the time.
Jun 25, Bruno rated it it was amazing Shelves: favourite-foreign-works , toptragedies , topgreek-works , greek-literature , euripides-s-tragedies , tragedies , favourite-works , titles-with-movie-adaptation , favourite-works-with-adaptations , topworks-book-and-adaptation.
As I've mentioned in my earlier reviews of this story, revolving around the Atreus's family, I find this version far superior than it's counterparts. It's not because of flattering or because I've read this work first first was Aeschylus's and than Sophocles's version , but because it gives characters distinct layer of humanity. We have, on one side, a woman, who represents emotions and feelings of a wife and a mother who REACTS with her own reasons, which are understandable and begs the questi As I've mentioned in my earlier reviews of this story, revolving around the Atreus's family, I find this version far superior than it's counterparts.
We have, on one side, a woman, who represents emotions and feelings of a wife and a mother who REACTS with her own reasons, which are understandable and begs the questions of man's morality and actions. On the other side, there's her daughter, who loves her father and values the family structure by a rule of patricide, thus giving us an example of obedience.
Also, she acts so confident when holding backs for her brother in a moment of hesitation. It's important because, in the end, we got the conclusion everyone would find natural, but the build up leading to this point wants us believe the reaction will end differently.
To fully understand it, one must read all three versions and compare it and I know it's probably boring, but the devil is in the details,as we say. In short, give it a try, read it passionately and admire it. I wish you all a pleasant evening and good night. Apr 30, Mike rated it liked it Shelves: books-owned. In this version of the famous myth, Electra not only has great complicity in her mother's murder, but more explicitly takes part in the planning and execution.
This was clearly derivative of previous dramatizations of the same events, as Euripides gives nods and gentle prods to Aeschylus throughout. The most interesting character for me is the farmer who married Electra. He is an honest, honorable, and noble commoner who stands in stark relief to the scheming, melodramatic, and morally dubious In this version of the famous myth, Electra not only has great complicity in her mother's murder, but more explicitly takes part in the planning and execution.
He is an honest, honorable, and noble commoner who stands in stark relief to the scheming, melodramatic, and morally dubious nobility and heroes. Unfortunately, the farmer disappears about one-third of the way through the play, so we are left with what turns out to be another perspective on an old story, but one that lacks the tension of previous portrayals.
If only the farmer could have hung around longer But then it would have been less ancient and more modern. Jul 16, Charlotte rated it it was amazing Shelves: ancient-greece , plays. Euripides's version of the classic House of Atreus tragedy brought out the humanity in many of the main characters.
In Aeschylus's version of the same timeline, Orestes and Electra are caricatures -- much of their reasoning is condensed into the typical revenge and honor plotline, mythical in exectuion.
However, here, the characters are contradictory, confused, uncertain, brave, scared. They are logical and real. His female characters are undeniably strong and at the center of attention, their a Euripides's version of the classic House of Atreus tragedy brought out the humanity in many of the main characters.
His female characters are undeniably strong and at the center of attention, their arguments and speeches revealing a clarity and intelligence that was surprising. It is said that Euripides wrote in two keys, and this is none the more clear than in Electra, where the bleak is met with the humorous, seriousness met with parody. At times ruthless in its gruesomeness, this tragedy was at the same time infused with dark humor, sardonic and full of irony, comical in its parody of Aeschylus.
Euripides has quickly risen to the top of my favorite Greek tragedians. Jun 15, Anand rated it it was amazing. I love the ethical nuances and gray areas which touch the measure-for-measure matricide and patricide that brother and sister unite to wreak. It feels much more of a brother-sister Union. Electra often speaks very ancient-Greek sentiments about women and how they should be subject to men. Both have considerable claims. Euripides really puts these two against each other wonderfully.
Aug 20, Will rated it really liked it Shelves: theatre , ancient-world , family. Continuing my journey through Euripides, I read Electra, a story about filial piety, sacrifice, and repercussions. I had previously read Sophocles' version translated by Anne Carson.
Electra is racked with pain from her father's murder, and not afraid to show it and seek revenge. Euripides loves strong female character, and unfortunately the deus ex machina.
I know I say this a lot, but the predictable appearance of an all-powerful god or two bothers me. But this isn't enough to turn me away fro Continuing my journey through Euripides, I read Electra, a story about filial piety, sacrifice, and repercussions. But this isn't enough to turn me away from the twists and emotions of ancient Greek drama.
The Dioscuri show up again, this time annoyingly negating all of the action of the play. Overall, an enjoyable experience. It's inevitable to compare it to Sophocles' Electra when having just read that tragedy as well. And this Electra comes across much more cautious, her grief quieter, her speech less emotional and more sensible, even though she asks to be the one to kill Clytemnestra. I liked that Electra and Orestes have more time for dialogue, and that Electra too has to purge in the end.
But this version also seems more misogynistic. And once again I was on Clytemnestra's side after hearing her arguments, which de It's inevitable to compare it to Sophocles' Electra when having just read that tragedy as well. And once again I was on Clytemnestra's side after hearing her arguments, which demanded the reader imagine a role reversal where she had committed her husband's actions and went unpunished. Dec 13, Michelle rated it really liked it.
We finally got to find out how Aegisthus was murdered. My favourite part of this play was seeing how Electra's character is written differently from her character in the Orestia. In there, she's given very little dialogue or agency, as apparently befits a woman of that time. This Electra is outspoken, yelling at her relatives for the things they should have done for her, and taking an active part in the action of the story.
Euripides writes women better, I guess. Dec 30, Alexander Rolfe rated it really liked it. I'm still casting about trying to find a justification for the killing of Clytemnestra. This Electra faults Clytemnestra for lust, and says her Electra's exile is twice as bad as Iphigenia's death. Orestes almost balks, wondering if it was a demon pretending to be a god telling him to do this. And Electra feels some remorse afterwards.
This was a tough one for the Greeks. Nov 16, Nancy rated it it was amazing Shelves: Finished: WE know more than the characters. That will keep any Greek on the edge of their chair! My Thoughts Finished: My Thoughts From all the books I have read for high school until now, I would rate this one as a "meh" one. Not my favorite one but definitely not the worst. The only thing that bothered me is the fact that so much background information is required to fully understand the plot.
Sep 12, Clara Lamarca rated it really liked it. Besides, everyone knows Agamemnon is an asshole, its been quite clear in history. Sep 07, Tamar Nagel rated it it was amazing Shelves: plays.
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