Comparing Aeschylus 'Oresteia And Sophocles'
Spenser Pulleyking
1436071
University of Tulsa
HON-1003-02
The Many Faces of Electra: Aeschylus and Sophocles
1385 Words
Dr. Avi Mintz
While Helen of Troy might have had a face that launched a thousand ships, Electra of Argos had a face that launched a thousand stories. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, three famous ancient Greek playwrights from the 4th and 5th Century BCE, all produced their own versions of Electra’s story that survive to this day. While each story generally follows the same chain of events, the characteristics of Electra and her family develop in completely different directions, and the meaning behind their actions continues to change. When examining Aeschylus’ Oresteia and …show more content…
In Sophocles’ Electra, first performed sometime around the end of the fourth century BCE, the story begins many years after the murder of Agamemnon, at the secret return of the now-fully-grown Orestes; he is already bent on avenging his father’s death, even before he finds Electra. Initially, Electra is seen to be an intelligent and passionate character, she realizes the constraints of action that her gender dictates; “My life drains away, my strength is gone. I am some childless woman, with no man to depend on…a worthless woman, dressed in these rags, laying food on a table that has no place for me.” (Electra 185-192). Here, Sophocles is satirizing—though to a limited extent—the gender roles still present in his audience’s society. Electra gains power and influence throughout the play; Sophocles depicts both Electra and Clytemnestra as very strong-willed. Sophocles’ defining characteristic is presenting Electra as powerful as well as good and wise. With Clytemnestra dead and Aegisthus also about to die at her brother Orestes’ hands, Electra shows that her goal in the murder of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus is not simplistic vengeance or fury, but a release from the hatred she has harbored while remaining loyal to Agamemnon: “Don’t let him speak another word, for god’s sake, brother. He’d just draw things out. When someone’s in a tough spot, about to die, what’s the point of having more time? Kill him right away, and when you’ve killed him, let whoever might take him give him a burial out of my sight. That is the only way, after all these years of misery, that I’ll be released.” (Electra 1483-1490). In a stark metamorphosis from her self-pitying self at the beginning of the play, Electra now speaks with the
1436071
University of Tulsa
HON-1003-02
The Many Faces of Electra: Aeschylus and Sophocles
1385 Words
Dr. Avi Mintz
While Helen of Troy might have had a face that launched a thousand ships, Electra of Argos had a face that launched a thousand stories. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, three famous ancient Greek playwrights from the 4th and 5th Century BCE, all produced their own versions of Electra’s story that survive to this day. While each story generally follows the same chain of events, the characteristics of Electra and her family develop in completely different directions, and the meaning behind their actions continues to change. When examining Aeschylus’ Oresteia and …show more content…
In Sophocles’ Electra, first performed sometime around the end of the fourth century BCE, the story begins many years after the murder of Agamemnon, at the secret return of the now-fully-grown Orestes; he is already bent on avenging his father’s death, even before he finds Electra. Initially, Electra is seen to be an intelligent and passionate character, she realizes the constraints of action that her gender dictates; “My life drains away, my strength is gone. I am some childless woman, with no man to depend on…a worthless woman, dressed in these rags, laying food on a table that has no place for me.” (Electra 185-192). Here, Sophocles is satirizing—though to a limited extent—the gender roles still present in his audience’s society. Electra gains power and influence throughout the play; Sophocles depicts both Electra and Clytemnestra as very strong-willed. Sophocles’ defining characteristic is presenting Electra as powerful as well as good and wise. With Clytemnestra dead and Aegisthus also about to die at her brother Orestes’ hands, Electra shows that her goal in the murder of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus is not simplistic vengeance or fury, but a release from the hatred she has harbored while remaining loyal to Agamemnon: “Don’t let him speak another word, for god’s sake, brother. He’d just draw things out. When someone’s in a tough spot, about to die, what’s the point of having more time? Kill him right away, and when you’ve killed him, let whoever might take him give him a burial out of my sight. That is the only way, after all these years of misery, that I’ll be released.” (Electra 1483-1490). In a stark metamorphosis from her self-pitying self at the beginning of the play, Electra now speaks with the