The Electra Myth

Comparison Essay # 53612

Drama and Theater > Greek and Roman

The Electra Myth

A comparative analysis of the treatment of the Electra myth in Euripides' "Electra" and Aeschylus' "Libation Bearers".

4,139 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2004 United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

This paper examines Euripides' "Electra" as a variation of the Electra myth and its relation to Aeschylus' interpretation of the same story in the "Libation Bearers", with particular emphasis on Euripides' "realistic" approach to concepts of character and issues of intertextuality, such as in the 'recognition scene'. Amongst others, it includes in-depth analysis and comparisons of the character of Electra herself and that of Orestes, the role of the Gods and the chorus and the depiction of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra in both plays.

From the Paper:

"Euripides' Electra starts with a shock: Agamemnon's daughter has been forced to marry a peasant and now lives in squalor, far away from the palace she used to inhibit. In line with his overall more "realistic" approach to the story, Euripides' focus is less on solemn atmosphere and heroic characters as presented in Aeschylus, but instead characterized by an emphasis on a more human depiction of its characters. In his treatment of the Electra myth, Euripides poses fundamental questions about the relationship between class and moral values, which is manifested in the character of the peasant, Electra's husband, a unique Euripidean invention which is not featured in the Aeschylean version of the myth."