Who is Electra in the Odyssey?
Electra, (Greek: “Bright One”) in Greek legend, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who saved the life of her young brother Orestes by sending him away when their father was murdered. When he later returned, she helped him to slay their mother and their mother’s lover, Aegisthus.
Who is the old man that Electra speaks to?
Old Man. The Old Man is the faithful servant to whom Electra entrusted Orestes as a young boy. The Old Man smuggle Orestes to Phocia, where he served as the boy’s tutor and guardian.
What is the theme of Elektra?
The justification and consequences of murder and revenge is the major theme throughout the play, both the murder of their mother by Orestes and Electra, but also the other murders (of Iphigenia, and of Agamemnon and Cassandra) which led up to the current one in a tit-for-tat succession of acts of vengeance.
Why does Electra lament inside the palace?
Electra laments her lonely grief for Agamemnon. The Women of Mycenae try to control Electra’s grief: it is excessive and avails not. She is unconsolable: without husband or children, she awaits Orestes in vain. Justice demands that the dead be revenged: she will not cease her grief to gain comforts for herself.
Why is Electra the main character?
Electra is the play’s protagonist, and she is the sister of Orestes, Iphigenia, and Chrysothemis as well as the daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. The character of Electra also serves to highlight the sexist nature of ancient Greek society.
How is Electra a tragedy?
Electra is the tragic hero in this story, the has a number of “tragic flaws” that will lead to her downfall at the end of the story. She has a strong, blind desire for vengeance. She demonstrates immense self-pity. She is very jealous.
How does Electra know Orestes is her brother?
Electra discovers a lock of hair on Agamemnon’s grave. She knows that it is Orestes’s hair, for she can see his curls, and assumes that he sent it in order to honor their father. The chorus says that it is all the more cause for grief, as it must be a sign that Orestes will never return.
What do Orestes and Electra ask of their father’s spirit?
Orestes has just been listening in on Electra’s prayers, in which she asked the gods and the spirit of Agamemnon to bring him home. (Electra): “Father, I too have such a request from you, to escape from great [misery] by inflicting it on Aegisthus.”
Why is Electra a tragedy?
What is the meaning of Electra?
Elektra is a female given name. Its Greek origin ( Ἠλέκτρα, Ēlektra) means “amber”, and thus “shining”, “incandescent”. Names with similar meanings are Lucy and Svetlana.
Where does Electra live in Sophocles Electra?
city of Argos
Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan War, the play tells of a bitter struggle for justice by Electra and her brother Orestes for the murder of their father Agamemnon by Clytemnestra and their stepfather Aegisthus….Electra (Sophocles play)
Electra | |
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Setting | Mycenae, before the palace of the Pelopidae |
Who wrote Electra first?
Euripides
Electra (Euripides play)
Electra | |
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Written by | Euripides |
Chorus | Argive women |
Characters | Farmer, husband of Electra Electra Orestes Old servant Messenger Clytemnestra Castor |
Mute | Pylades Polydeuces Servants |
What does Electra by Sophocles mean?
Written toward the end of Sophocles’ career, Electra dramatizes Orestes ’ revenge for the murder of Agamemnon, just like Euripides’ same-titled play and Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers.
Was Sophocles’ Electra written before or after Euripides’ Libation Bearers?
Sophocles’ Electra was certainly performed after Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers (458 BC), but it is not clear whether it was performed before or after Euripides’ Electra. In any case, it is highly likely that Sophocles’ and Euripides’ versions were written in close proximity to each other and, almost certainly, in the same decade.
What happens when Orestes and Paedagogus meet up with Electra?
Orestes expresses the desire to greet her immediately, but Paedagogus insists that nothing should precede the work of Apollo, and that the next step must be to perform Agamemnon’s libations. Paedagogus, Pylades, and Orestes exit the stage. Meanwhile, Electra enters from inside the palace. Electra, alone on stage, sings a monody of grief.
What is the story of Electra based on?
“Electra” (Gr: “Elektra”) is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, probably dating from quite late in his career, around 410 BCE or later. It is based on the story of Electra and her brother Orestes, and the vengeance they take on their mother Clytemnestra and step-father Aegisthus for…