Character Analysis

Electra is one tough cookie. She's spent all of her adult life being abused by the one person
who's supposed to love her unconditionally (her mother), and yet she doesn't once waver in
her staunch idealism. Her existence is a lonely one not even her sister supports her in her
efforts to right a severe wrong. Yet she draws strength from this isolation rather than
despairing on account of it. Even if you think Electra ends up a murderer no better than her
mother, you've got to admit: the girl's got guts.

Electra is so committed to her course of action that we have to wonder exactly why she so
desperately wants the royal couple dead. Here are three possible arguments:

1. Electra is acting purely out of obligation. She doesn't actually have a personal or
emotional stake in what goes down, but she feels she is bound by duty to make sure her
dad is avenged. Or, as Electra says, "I feel ashamed. I'm forced to do it, though. You
must forgive me" (255-7).

2. Argument number two is that Electra is driven entirely by emotion and hate and only
masks these ugly emotions with the guise of so-called "duty." When Electra yells to her
brother to "strike her another blow," we sense that emotion is in the driver's seat here
(1415).

3. Argument number three is that Electra's whole bloodline is just cursed. Electra's
unfortunate ancestry can be traced all the way back to her ancestor, Tantalus, who
chopped up his son, Pelops, and tried to feed him to the gods. It's fate, it's divine will,
it's just the way things were bound to happen. As Aegisthus says, "The curse of Pelops'
house!" (1497). (Click here for more on the cursed house of Atreus.)

Of course, the biggest questions regarding Electra have to do with morality. Why does Electra
think she can kill her mother to avenge her father, but that her mother was not justified in
killing Agamemnon to revenge her daughter? Electra's system of morality, if she has one,
seems to be predicated upon contradiction and self-deception. She has convinced herself that
morally she is in the right, and that her mother is in the wrong. She maintains this position,
despite some weighty arguments put forward by the Queen. Check out the mother-daughter
debate a little more carefully. Does Electra really listen to what her mother has to say about
Agamemnon? Does she counter the Queen's arguments, or just ignore them?

You can also consider the way Electra's obsession affects her as a character. Clearly it's been
detrimental, especially compared to Chrysothemis, who is living a pretty sweet life herself.
Electra would argue that Chrysothemis may be superficially happy, but in doing so has
neglected her duty and acted immorally. Whether or not Electra is better off on account of
being determined to get revenge is up to you.

You also might want to take a look at the way Electra's character changes over the course of
the play. Sure, she's an extremist at the start of the play, but she's still relatively calm, or at
least able to debate rationally with her sister and mother. But as soon as she finds out Orestes
is dead, Electra loses what little perspective she had at the beginning. She starts plotting to kill
the royal couple herself, and even asks help from her sister, who wants nothing to do with it.
Electra is driven by emotion to a greater and greater degree as the play continues forward.
Even when she finds out Orestes is alive, her reaction seems to be over-the-top. When she
reunites with the old slave, she's again looking a little maniacal. Of course, nothing tops her
screaming to Orestes to strike their mother a second death blow.

Oddly enough, despite her heroine status, Electra doesn't actually do much in this play. She
stands around and laments, and then she stands around and rejoices, and then she stands
around and cheers her brother on while he takes charge of the play's real action (i.e.,
murdering the royal couple). This lack of action renders Electra a bit of an oddity in the world
of Greek Tragedy. What kind of heroine doesn't do anything? However, as we discuss in
"What's Up With the Title?", action isn't really the point of Electra. This play is interested in
the emotional and moral consequences of actions like murder or vengeance, not in the
murders or vengeance themselves. Most of the play is made up of moral debates between
Electra, her sister, and the Queen. These debates are the guts of the play, and our heroine is at
the center.

Speaking of classic tragic heroes, you can also think about whether Electra has the good old
Greek "tragic flaw." If Electra has one, it's probably her inflexible, stubborn idealism. On the
flip side, we could praise this trait if we look at her character from another perspective. It just
goes to show that it all depends on your moral point of view. Which is sort of the point of
Electra.

Electra Timeline and Summary

Through Orestes's conversation with the old slave, we get some back-story on Electra:
when Agamemnon was murdered, she smuggled Orestes out of town for his own
safety.

Electra's comes on-stage with a grief-filled monologue. Her life is terrible; she's
abused by her mother, and all she can do is hope and pray that her brother Orestes will
soon return to Mycenae, which he's been promising for some time now.

She converses with the Chorus. They think she should be more practical and stop
obsessing over the past.

Electra argues with Chrysothemis. Electra can't believe her sister plays nice with the
people who murdered their father. Chrysothemis reveals that Aegisthus is fed up with
Electra's behavior and isn't going to put up with it much longer.

Electra instructs her sister to pay her respects to Agamemnon's grave.

 Electra argues with Clytemnestra about Agamemnon's murder; she gives her mom no
moral wiggle room.

Electra grieves when she hears the (fake) news that Orestes is dead.

She asks Chrysothemis to help her kill the royal couple, and then resolves to do it on
her own.

Electra is reunited with her brother Orestes and rejoices. She encourages him to kill
the Queen and listens in (while cheering him on) as he does.

Electra Summary

How It All Goes Down

Electra opens in Mycenae, in Ancient Greece. Before we can delve into this story, we need a
bit of back story. When Agamemnon, the resident King, returned from the Trojan War, his
wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered him and usurped the throne. The
daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, Electra, smuggled her brother Orestes out of town
so that he could grow up safe in a foreign land and come back some day to avenge their dad.

And that day is now. Orestes is back in town and he is ready for revenge. He brings with him
the old slave who smuggled him out of the palace the day Agamemnon was murdered. In
addition, Orestes brings his buddy Pylades who, as far as we can tell, will be like to a prop for
the rest of this play. Orestes hatches a plan with these men: the old slave will go to the palace
and pretend to be a messenger from Phocis bringing news of Orestes's death. Meanwhile,
Orestes and Pylades will go pay their respects to Agamemnon's grave.

Now we jump to Electra Orestes's sister who stayed behind in Mycenae after Agamemnon
was murdered. Because she refuses to embrace the new king and because she won't forgive
her mother for murdering her father, she's abused on a regular basis by the royal couple. She
spends all day grieving and praying that Orestes will soon return to Mycenae to right these
royal wrongs. In contrast, her sister, Chrysothemis, kisses up to Clytemnestra and Aegisthus
and lives a life of comfort. The two sisters argue extensively about whose course of action is
better. Electra maintains that they have a filial duty to see their father's murderers brought to
justice, while Chrysothemis pragmatically decides that there's nothing to be gained from
snubbing the King and Queen.

Next we get an intense scene between Electra and her mother, Queen Clytemnestra. Electra
calls her a murdering sinner, but the Queen has her own side of the story. Agamemnon
sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia in order to get his ships home from the Trojan War. That
Agamemnon sacrificed Iphigenia infuriates the Queen. In her mind, her husband deserved to
die. Electra, however, is having none of it. Before the argument gets too catty, the old slave
shows up with what we know to be fake news: Orestes is dead. Electra is beside herself with
grief, but the Queen is relieved. Queen Clytemnestra no longer has to worry about her son
coming back to kill her. She takes the slave inside to celebrate.

Electra grieves alone outside the palace and resolves that, now that she can't rely on her
brother, she has to kill her mother herself. Before she starts sharpening her sword, Orestes
shows up with his friend, Pylades. When he realizes that this bereaved woman is his sister, he
reveals his true identity. Much embracing and rejoicing follows. The two of them quickly
agree to avenge their father together. By "together" they mean that Orestes will go inside and
stab Clytemnestra, while Electra stands outside and encourage him verbally. So they do. We
know from Clytemnestra's screams that the deed is done.

Orestes comes back outside, carrying Clytemnestra's body covered in a sheet. Electra is
overjoyed. Just then King Aegisthus shows up, pleased as punch because he heard that
Orestes is dead. (He's about five minutes behind everybody else.) Yep, says Orestes, and
here's his body! It doesn't take long for Aegisthus to realize that the dead body is his wife and
the man before him is Orestes. He resigns himself to his fate (being murdered by Orestes),
and is ushered inside the palace as the play comes to a close.