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Electra
Masterpiece of drama concerns the revenge Electra takes on her mother for the murder of her father. One of the best-known heroines of all drama and a towering figure of Greek tragedy.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 411
About the author
Sophocles
2,168 books2,288 followersSophocles (497/496 BC-406/405 BC), (Greek:
Σοφοκλής
; German:
Sophokles
, Russian:
Софокл
, French:
Sophocle
) was an ancient Greek tragedian, known as one of three from whom at least one play has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those of Aeschylus; and earlier than, or contemporary with, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost fifty years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens which took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in thirty competitions, won twenty-four, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.
The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known as the Theban plays, though each was part of a different tetralogy (the other members of which are now lost). Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor (attributed to Sophocles by Aristotle; to Aeschylus by Themistius), thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights.
The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known as the Theban plays, though each was part of a different tetralogy (the other members of which are now lost). Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor (attributed to Sophocles by Aristotle; to Aeschylus by Themistius), thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights.
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November 13, 2021
Ἠλέκτρα = Electra, Sophocles
Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes (409 BC) and the Oedipus at Colonus (401 BC) lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.
Electra's parents were King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Her sisters were Iphigeneia and Chrysothemis, and her brother was Orestes. In the Iliad, Homer is understood to be referring to Electra in mentioning "Laodice" as a daughter of Agamemnon.
Electra was absent from Mycenae when her father, King Agamemnon, returned from the Trojan War.
When he came back, he brought with him his war prize, the Trojan princess Cassandra, who had already borne him twin sons. Upon their arrival, Agamemnon and Cassandra were murdered, by either Clytemnestra herself, her lover Aegisthus or both.
Clytemnestra had held a grudge against her husband for agreeing to sacrifice their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to Artemis so he could send his ships to fight in the Trojan war.
In some versions of this story, Iphigenia was saved by the goddess at the last moment.
Eight years later, Electra returned home from Athens at the same time as her brother, Orestes. Orestes was saved either by his old nurse or by Electra, and was taken to Phanote on Mount Parnassus, where King Strophius took charge of him.
When Orestes was twenty, the Oracle of Delphi ordered him to return home and avenge his father's death. ....
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: شانزدهم ماه نوامبر سال1973میلادی
عنوان: الکترا، فیلوکتتس، زنان تراخیس و آژاکس؛ نویسنده: سوفوکل (سوفوکلس)؛ مترجم: محمد سعیدی؛ تهران، علمی فرهنگی؛ سال1335؛ در297ص؛ چاپ دوم سال1366؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان باستانی یونان - سده 5پیش از میلاد
نمایشنامه، در حدود سالهای410پیش از میلاد، یا409پیش از میلاد، نوشته شده است، و داستان انتقام گیری «الکترا»، و برادرش «اورستس»، از مادرشان «کلوتایمنسترا»، و پدرخوانده شان «آیگیستوس»، به خاطر کشتن پدرشان «آگاممنون»، را روایت می‌کند، الکترا دختر «آگاممنون» است و نباید او را با پری دریایی همنامش «الکترا» که مادرِ «رب النوعِ کوچکِ آیریس از تیتان دریا تائومس» است، اشتباه گرفت؛ «الکترا» با دوست برادرش، «پولادس» ازدواج کرد؛
زمانی که «آگاممنون» پدر «الکترا» و پادشاه شهر «میسِنه» از جنگ «تروآ» بازگشت، و توسط «آگوستوس (معشوقه کلامنتسترا)» و یا توسط خود «کلایمنتسترا» به قتل رسید، «الکترا» در شهر «میسِنه» حضور نداشت؛ «کلایمنتسترا» برای اینکه «آگاممنون»، دختر بزرگترش «ایفجنیا» را، برای «آتنا» یا «آرتمیس» قربانی کرده بود، از وی کینه به دل گرفته بود؛ همچنین «آگوستوس» و «کلایمنتسترا»، «کاساندرا» پیشگوی مقدسِ «تروی» که به عنوان غنیمت، و پاداش جنگ، به «آگاممنون» اهدا شده بود را کشتند؛ هشت سال بعد «الکترا» و برادرش «اورستس» را از «آتن» به «منیسه» بازگرداندند؛ طبق نوشته های «پیندار- شاعر یونان باستان»، در این سال‌ها، «الکترا» یا دایه ای پیر، از «اورستس» مراقبت می‌کردند؛ سپس «اورستس» به «فانوته» در کوه «پارناسوس»، جایی که «استروفیوسِ شاه» از او مراقبت می‌کرد، برده شد تا اینکه در سن بیست سالگی، توسط پیشگویی به نام «دلفیک» به بازگشت به وطن و کین خواهیِ پدر فرمان داده شد
طبق داستانِ «آیسخلیوس»، «اورستس» چهره «الکترا» خواهرش را، پیش از ملاقات بر سر مزارِ آگاممنون، در مکانی که پیشکش‌هایی را برای مزار پدرشان فراهم می‌آوردند، دید؛ ملاقات انجام شد، و برنامه ریزی برای کین خواهی و انتقام جویی شکل گرفت؛ «پیلادس» و «اورستس»، «کلایمنتسترا» و «آگوستوس» را (به پشتوانه کمک «الکترا») کشتند
کلایمنتسترا پیش از مرگش، «اورستس» را نفرین کرد و الهگان انتقام، برای عذاب او به زمین آمدند؛ او توسط الاهِگان انتقام، که وظیفه ی مجازات وی را، به دلیل تعرض به قداست خانواده داشتند، تعقیب میشد، هر چند «الکترا» توسط الاهگان انتقام، مورد تعقیب قرار نگرفت؛ «اورستس» در معبدی در «دلفی» پناه گرفت؛ گفته می‌شود هنگامی که او به معبد رفت، ابتدا کاهنی «اورستس» را غرق در خون، و در حالی که الاهگان انتقام دور و بر او پرواز می‌کردند، یافت؛ سپس کاهنان او را با خون خوک شستشو دادند، تا پاک شود، و درست به محض اینکه پاک شد، به «آتن» سفر کرد تا «آتنا» را بیابد؛
در پایان در «آکروپولیس آتن»، «آتنا» را یافت، و دادگاهی رسمی در این مورد توسط «آتنا»، پیش از قضاوت دوازده آتنی، تشکیل داد؛ الهگان انتقام خواستار قربانی خود «اورستس» بودند؛ او در دادگاه، فرمانهای «آپولو» را مطرح کرد؛ رای‌ها به طور مساوی (بر مجازات و رهایی اورستس) اعلام شد و «آتنا» رأی تعیین‌کننده خود مبنی بر تبرئه «اورستس» را بیان نمود
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 20/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 21/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes (409 BC) and the Oedipus at Colonus (401 BC) lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.
Electra's parents were King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Her sisters were Iphigeneia and Chrysothemis, and her brother was Orestes. In the Iliad, Homer is understood to be referring to Electra in mentioning "Laodice" as a daughter of Agamemnon.
Electra was absent from Mycenae when her father, King Agamemnon, returned from the Trojan War.
When he came back, he brought with him his war prize, the Trojan princess Cassandra, who had already borne him twin sons. Upon their arrival, Agamemnon and Cassandra were murdered, by either Clytemnestra herself, her lover Aegisthus or both.
Clytemnestra had held a grudge against her husband for agreeing to sacrifice their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to Artemis so he could send his ships to fight in the Trojan war.
In some versions of this story, Iphigenia was saved by the goddess at the last moment.
Eight years later, Electra returned home from Athens at the same time as her brother, Orestes. Orestes was saved either by his old nurse or by Electra, and was taken to Phanote on Mount Parnassus, where King Strophius took charge of him.
When Orestes was twenty, the Oracle of Delphi ordered him to return home and avenge his father's death. ....
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: شانزدهم ماه نوامبر سال1973میلادی
عنوان: الکترا، فیلوکتتس، زنان تراخیس و آژاکس؛ نویسنده: سوفوکل (سوفوکلس)؛ مترجم: محمد سعیدی؛ تهران، علمی فرهنگی؛ سال1335؛ در297ص؛ چاپ دوم سال1366؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان باستانی یونان - سده 5پیش از میلاد
نمایشنامه، در حدود سالهای410پیش از میلاد، یا409پیش از میلاد، نوشته شده است، و داستان انتقام گیری «الکترا»، و برادرش «اورستس»، از مادرشان «کلوتایمنسترا»، و پدرخوانده شان «آیگیستوس»، به خاطر کشتن پدرشان «آگاممنون»، را روایت می‌کند، الکترا دختر «آگاممنون» است و نباید او را با پری دریایی همنامش «الکترا» که مادرِ «رب النوعِ کوچکِ آیریس از تیتان دریا تائومس» است، اشتباه گرفت؛ «الکترا» با دوست برادرش، «پولادس» ازدواج کرد؛
زمانی که «آگاممنون» پدر «الکترا» و پادشاه شهر «میسِنه» از جنگ «تروآ» بازگشت، و توسط «آگوستوس (معشوقه کلامنتسترا)» و یا توسط خود «کلایمنتسترا» به قتل رسید، «الکترا» در شهر «میسِنه» حضور نداشت؛ «کلایمنتسترا» برای اینکه «آگاممنون»، دختر بزرگترش «ایفجنیا» را، برای «آتنا» یا «آرتمیس» قربانی کرده بود، از وی کینه به دل گرفته بود؛ همچنین «آگوستوس» و «کلایمنتسترا»، «کاساندرا» پیشگوی مقدسِ «تروی» که به عنوان غنیمت، و پاداش جنگ، به «آگاممنون» اهدا شده بود را کشتند؛ هشت سال بعد «الکترا» و برادرش «اورستس» را از «آتن» به «منیسه» بازگرداندند؛ طبق نوشته های «پیندار- شاعر یونان باستان»، در این سال‌ها، «الکترا» یا دایه ای پیر، از «اورستس» مراقبت می‌کردند؛ سپس «اورستس» به «فانوته» در کوه «پارناسوس»، جایی که «استروفیوسِ شاه» از او مراقبت می‌کرد، برده شد تا اینکه در سن بیست سالگی، توسط پیشگویی به نام «دلفیک» به بازگشت به وطن و کین خواهیِ پدر فرمان داده شد
طبق داستانِ «آیسخلیوس»، «اورستس» چهره «الکترا» خواهرش را، پیش از ملاقات بر سر مزارِ آگاممنون، در مکانی که پیشکش‌هایی را برای مزار پدرشان فراهم می‌آوردند، دید؛ ملاقات انجام شد، و برنامه ریزی برای کین خواهی و انتقام جویی شکل گرفت؛ «پیلادس» و «اورستس»، «کلایمنتسترا» و «آگوستوس» را (به پشتوانه کمک «الکترا») کشتند
کلایمنتسترا پیش از مرگش، «اورستس» را نفرین کرد و الهگان انتقام، برای عذاب او به زمین آمدند؛ او توسط الاهِگان انتقام، که وظیفه ی مجازات وی را، به دلیل تعرض به قداست خانواده داشتند، تعقیب میشد، هر چند «الکترا» توسط الاهگان انتقام، مورد تعقیب قرار نگرفت؛ «اورستس» در معبدی در «دلفی» پناه گرفت؛ گفته می‌شود هنگامی که او به معبد رفت، ابتدا کاهنی «اورستس» را غرق در خون، و در حالی که الاهگان انتقام دور و بر او پرواز می‌کردند، یافت؛ سپس کاهنان او را با خون خوک شستشو دادند، تا پاک شود، و درست به محض اینکه پاک شد، به «آتن» سفر کرد تا «آتنا» را بیابد؛
در پایان در «آکروپولیس آتن»، «آتنا» را یافت، و دادگاهی رسمی در این مورد توسط «آتنا»، پیش از قضاوت دوازده آتنی، تشکیل داد؛ الهگان انتقام خواستار قربانی خود «اورستس» بودند؛ او در دادگاه، فرمانهای «آپولو» را مطرح کرد؛ رای‌ها به طور مساوی (بر مجازات و رهایی اورستس) اعلام شد و «آتنا» رأی تعیین‌کننده خود مبنی بر تبرئه «اورستس» را بیان نمود
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 20/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 21/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
April 9, 2023
i'm 1% human, 99% a compilation of antique tragedies and their retellings (i need psychological help)
April 21, 2017
“Life can only be pain. Far better to die”
“Death is not the worst thing; rather, when one who craves death cannot attain even that wish.”
“Death is not the worst thing; rather, when one who craves death cannot attain even that wish.”
June 25, 2022
"I ask this one thing: let me go mad in my own way."
Electra
Queen Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered her husband, Agamemnon, on his return from the Trojan War. The murder was a revenge killing. Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia in exchange for his armies' passage to Troy. Their remaining children, Electra and Orestes, sought revenge for their father's death by killing their mother and her lover.
Sophocles' Electra is one of three dramatic interpretations of this myth. It is a character study that focuses on Electra's obsessive desire for revenge that consumes her into middle age. The play follows her brother Orestes' return from exile and her unambiguous goading that ended in the double murder.
I am taking a course in Greek tragedy and became intrigued by a lecture comparing the three great Greek tragedians' interpretations of this myth. I read Aeychelus' Libation Bearers before reading Sophocles' interpretation.
In Aeychelus, Electra is a secondary character. Sophocles' shift of focus forces the reader to examine Electra's inability to feel compassion for her mother or understand her brother's reluctance to kill her. The course professor, Elizabeth Vandiver, stated that Freud based the Electra complex upon Sophocles' rendition of the myth.
Thanks to OliverTaplin's excellent translation, Electra was an accessible and engaging read. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Classics or mythology in general.
Electra
Queen Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered her husband, Agamemnon, on his return from the Trojan War. The murder was a revenge killing. Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia in exchange for his armies' passage to Troy. Their remaining children, Electra and Orestes, sought revenge for their father's death by killing their mother and her lover.
Sophocles' Electra is one of three dramatic interpretations of this myth. It is a character study that focuses on Electra's obsessive desire for revenge that consumes her into middle age. The play follows her brother Orestes' return from exile and her unambiguous goading that ended in the double murder.
I am taking a course in Greek tragedy and became intrigued by a lecture comparing the three great Greek tragedians' interpretations of this myth. I read Aeychelus' Libation Bearers before reading Sophocles' interpretation.
In Aeychelus, Electra is a secondary character. Sophocles' shift of focus forces the reader to examine Electra's inability to feel compassion for her mother or understand her brother's reluctance to kill her. The course professor, Elizabeth Vandiver, stated that Freud based the Electra complex upon Sophocles' rendition of the myth.
Thanks to OliverTaplin's excellent translation, Electra was an accessible and engaging read. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Classics or mythology in general.
May 14, 2023
manifesting a mother-daughter relationship that looks NOTHING like Electra's relationship with Clytemnestra on this fine Mother's day <3
December 1, 2022
Пьеса древнегреческого драматурга Софокла «Электра» посвящена трудной теме отмщения. В те времена за смерть мстили смертью, за кровь кровью, и с позиций сегодняшнего времени, такая кровная месть, очевидно, отторгается и осуждается большинством людей. Сюжет несложен. Под предлогом, что Агамемнон, отец Электры, Ореста и Хрисофемиды, принес в жертву богам их сестру Ифигению (что тоже поражает жестокостью), их мать Клитемнестра вместе со своим любовником Эгисфом убила своего мужа, когда он вернулся с войны. Она хотела убить и Ореста, но благодаря Электре, ему удалось спастись. Он скитался по чужбине, пока не вырос и не возмужал. Бог Аполлон посоветовал убить хитростью. Поэтому Орест пустил слух, что он умер, когда кони понесли на колеснице. На могиле отца страдала и плакала Электра, и просила «сонм эриний» отомстить. Орест открывается ей, потом убивает свою мать и ведет Эгисфа в дом, чтобы убить.
Повторюсь, что современный читатель или зритель не поймет такую кровожадность, пьеса кажется жестокой. Но новаторством этой трагедии было, что Софокл уделил большое вн��мание тому, чтобы показать душевное состояние Электры, ее скорбь и терзания, ее твердость воли и протест против убийства и несправедливости.
Меня заинтересовало, кто такие эринии. Оказалось, богини мести, которые доводят до самоубийства или безумия преступников. В некоторых мифах их всего три, самая известная из них – Мегера, в других – их много.
Повторюсь, что современный читатель или зритель не поймет такую кровожадность, пьеса кажется жестокой. Но новаторством этой трагедии было, что Софокл уделил большое вн��мание тому, чтобы показать душевное состояние Электры, ее скорбь и терзания, ее твердость воли и протест против убийства и несправедливости.
Меня заинтересовало, кто такие эринии. Оказалось, богини мести, которые доводят до самоубийства или безумия преступников. В некоторых мифах их всего три, самая известная из них – Мегера, в других – их много.
July 1, 2020
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 destruction never elicited empathy.
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 destruction never elicited empathy.
July 18, 2013
Anne Carson begins her translator's foreword by saying, “a translator is someone trying to get between a body and its shadow,” which is the best description I've ever heard of what it means to translate. Shadows are interesting things in folklore. To be separated from one's shadow is often a sentence to eternal soullessness, and that's exactly what too many translations do: divide the soul of a work from its body, condemning it to eternal indifference.
There is none of that here. Carson's language choices are sublime, electric. Yeah, yeah. I went there. Maybe I should have started by saying that Electra and I have never gotten along.
She's always been a difficult figure for me; I've never quite managed to like her. From the first time I encountered her in kiddie editions of Greek mythology, she grated. Finding her again in translation after translation didn't change that initial impression, though Eugene O'Neill and some of the less academic Aeschylus almost succeeded. I've spent most of my life rolling my eyes at poor Electra. She's even been a consistent, shrill presence on my list of most irritating characters, alongside King Lear and Victor Frankenstein.
And this is why Anne Carson's phenomenal translation has to be the focus of this review. Because of it, I can never find Electra annoying again. Her personal torment, which too often comes across as screechy and overwrought, is allowed the psychological complexity it likely always had. 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
There is none of that here. Carson's language choices are sublime, electric. Yeah, yeah. I went there. Maybe I should have started by saying that Electra and I have never gotten along.
She's always been a difficult figure for me; I've never quite managed to like her. From the first time I encountered her in kiddie editions of Greek mythology, she grated. Finding her again in translation after translation didn't change that initial impression, though Eugene O'Neill and some of the less academic Aeschylus almost succeeded. I've spent most of my life rolling my eyes at poor Electra. She's even been a consistent, shrill presence on my list of most irritating characters, alongside King Lear and Victor Frankenstein.
And this is why Anne Carson's phenomenal translation has to be the focus of this review. Because of it, I can never find Electra annoying again. Her personal torment, which too often comes across as screechy and overwrought, is allowed the psychological complexity it likely always had. 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
May 27, 2021
انتقام به مثابه وظیفه
در زمانه ای که تنها راه برقراری عدالت ، ایجاد تعادل به دست افراد خانواده بود، و سرپیچی از فرامین خدایان گناهی بزرگ شمرده میشد، الکترا مظهر انتقام جویی و دادخواهی شد.
.....
جایی خواندم :
«الكترای سوفوكل اگر قهرمان تراژیك باشد، تنها قهرمان تراژیك خوشبخت است.»
در زمانه ای که تنها راه برقراری عدالت ، ایجاد تعادل به دست افراد خانواده بود، و سرپیچی از فرامین خدایان گناهی بزرگ شمرده میشد، الکترا مظهر انتقام جویی و دادخواهی شد.
.....
جایی خواندم :
«الكترای سوفوكل اگر قهرمان تراژیك باشد، تنها قهرمان تراژیك خوشبخت است.»
October 29, 2023
آشنایی زیادی با یونان و نمایشنامه‌هاش ندارم. به‌عنوان کسی که فقط آواز آشیل و پنلوپیاد خونده اینا رو هم خیلی دوست داشتم.
فیلوکتتس: کسی که ادیسیوس و نئوپتولموس پسر آشیل خواستند با حیله راضی به بازگشت و تسلیم کردن کمانش کنند.
زنان تراخیس: تلاش دیرانیرا برای جلوگیری همسرش هراکلس از معشوقه گرفتن به فاجعه منتهی می‌شه...
الکترا: انتقام دخترِ آگاممنون از سلاخی پدرش توسط مادر و معشوقه‌ی وی با بازگشت برادرش اورستس محقق می‌شه.
آژاکس: داستان زوال و نابودی قهرمان جنگ‌های یونان و تروا (چقدر دراماتیک و بچه‌ان اینا=)))ا
فیلوکتتس: کسی که ادیسیوس و نئوپتولموس پسر آشیل خواستند با حیله راضی به بازگشت و تسلیم کردن کمانش کنند.
زنان تراخیس: تلاش دیرانیرا برای جلوگیری همسرش هراکلس از معشوقه گرفتن به فاجعه منتهی می‌شه...
الکترا: انتقام دخترِ آگاممنون از سلاخی پدرش توسط مادر و معشوقه‌ی وی با بازگشت برادرش اورستس محقق می‌شه.
آژاکس: داستان زوال و نابودی قهرمان جنگ‌های یونان و تروا (چقدر دراماتیک و بچه‌ان اینا=)))ا
March 28, 2023
I must admit I've enjoyed a number of these over-the-top ancient Greek tragedies. I took my time with this and Sophocles' Electra did not disappoint. I read the translation by Meineck & Woodruff that was very easy to read. There were some contemporary words/phrases that did seem to jump off the page as not consistent with the rest of the more measured dialogue. Not that Electra was measured by any stretch of the imagination. She has let her anger grow through the years until it has erupted like a volcano with a lava of rage & hatred that flows over her misery and grief in this play. It is a character study of a woman who is obsessed by her desire for revenge. A revenge that involves killing her mother, Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus who killed her father. Sounds reasonable, right? Well wait right there. King Agamemnon (Electra's father) had one of his daughters killed as a sacrifice to the Gods to ensure fair winds as they sailed to Troy. I'd say Clytemnestra had a right to be plenty angry herself. While Agamemnon was off to war for such a long time, Clytemnestra took a lover. When Agamemnon returns from war he was murdered by the lovers. Electra refused to live in peace with them, unlike her sister, which has led to a life full of unfulfillment & misery. When we meet her in the play her long lamentations are full of her grief over her father's death many years ago, her miserable life, rage and unrelenting desire for revenge. She prays for her brother, Orestes, who she had sent away for safekeeping to return to their home and be the instrument of her revenge & murder her mother & her lover.
Some things I wondered about: I am not a student of ancient Greek plays but found the Chorus to move from debating with Electra over her behavior & plans to being full team Electra. I don't recall if that was always the Choruses purpose in these plays. I thought they normally provided background & insight into the main characters.
Is Clytemnestra villain or victim? For the most part we only get Electra's side of the story that she has been kept practically a slave by her. But if she raged against her mother from the beginning, maybe that is why her mother turned away from her.
Electra also has an encounter with her sister Chrysotemis, who is a passive foil to Electra's rants. You wonder what it was about these two sisters that made them respond to their circumstances so differently.
Lastly, Orestes. Why was he so ready to fulfill his sister's wishes? He was a young boy when taken away from his home. Did his tutor fill his head with stories of his "evil" mother and the need for revenge?
The revenge scene is quite chilling.
Some things I wondered about: I am not a student of ancient Greek plays but found the Chorus to move from debating with Electra over her behavior & plans to being full team Electra. I don't recall if that was always the Choruses purpose in these plays. I thought they normally provided background & insight into the main characters.
Is Clytemnestra villain or victim? For the most part we only get Electra's side of the story that she has been kept practically a slave by her. But if she raged against her mother from the beginning, maybe that is why her mother turned away from her.
Electra also has an encounter with her sister Chrysotemis, who is a passive foil to Electra's rants. You wonder what it was about these two sisters that made them respond to their circumstances so differently.
Lastly, Orestes. Why was he so ready to fulfill his sister's wishes? He was a young boy when taken away from his home. Did his tutor fill his head with stories of his "evil" mother and the need for revenge?
The revenge scene is quite chilling.
January 18, 2020
Olaya bak. Bunun üzüntüsüne dayanamayan Elektra'nın dramını bu kitapta okuyoruz. Elektra öyle bir kadın ki bugünün psikoloji hastalığına ismini vermiş bir karakterdir. "Elektra Kompleksi" Aynı şekilde Sophocles'in diğer eser karakterlerinden Oedipus içinde aynı durum geçerli. Bu terimlerden oluşturulmuş kuramların sahibi ise Freud.
January 9, 2018
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. There’s also Icarian agency. Think Cobain, “Come back as Fire/Burn all the liars/Leave a blanket of ash on the ground. 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.
Aegisthus, what were you thinking? There is a nobility in the Divine. There’s also Icarian agency. Think Cobain, “Come back as Fire/Burn all the liars/Leave a blanket of ash on the ground. 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.
February 6, 2018
Birçok rahatsız edici hikaye barındırsa da bayıldım.
July 9, 2018
2.5/5
February 24, 2022
Baš mi je Sofokle prijao! Mislim da je ovo najoštriji prikaz likova koje pratim još od Eshila. Ovde im se daje prava mera, aristotelovski rečeno; naravno, ovde ne govorim o meri između dve krajnosti u smislu vrline, ali mislim da je izbegnuto Eshilovo ofrlje prikazivanje nekih junaka i Euripidovo karikiranje koje je otišlo u drugu krajnost. Elektra se ovde pokazala u punom zamahu, što je i logično, ali su i drugi junaci bili izoštreniji u svojim namerama ( Klitemnestra koja je, generalno, lik koji se puno ne nadograđuje, nije ovde dobila ne znam kakav prostor, ali mi se čini da je sažeto uspela da izrazi ono što je u prethodnim tragedijama bilo malo razvodnjeno)
December 7, 2023
"L'Électre" est une pièce qui mettent en scène des personnages qui rejettent de façon classique tout compromis et poursuivent un parcours meurtrier qui mène à un catastrophe pour la société en entier.
Malheureusement dans le contexte de 1937, l'année où elle a été montée pour la première fois, c'était plutôt une incitation aux français de refuser de faire la guerre contre les allemands.
On aime enseigner "Électre" et aussi "La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu" dans les universités nord-américaines pour comprendre aux étudiants comment le sentiment pacifiste était fort en France face au menace Nazi. "Électre" a alors une vocation pédagogique dans un contexte. Pourtant, sa valeur littéraire comme tel n'est pas grand.
Malheureusement dans le contexte de 1937, l'année où elle a été montée pour la première fois, c'était plutôt une incitation aux français de refuser de faire la guerre contre les allemands.
On aime enseigner "Électre" et aussi "La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu" dans les universités nord-américaines pour comprendre aux étudiants comment le sentiment pacifiste était fort en France face au menace Nazi. "Électre" a alors une vocation pédagogique dans un contexte. Pourtant, sa valeur littéraire comme tel n'est pas grand.
March 1, 2015
Sophocles' take on Orestes' revenge
21 March 2012
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.
21 March 2012
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.
August 15, 2022
It was Sophocles’ Electra that Hofmannstahl chose to adapt for his play that later turned into the libretto for Richard Strauss’ great opera. I was always curious why he turned to Sophocles, and not Euripides or Aeschylus, for Electra and it quickly became clear as I started reading it. For one, there are long sections of Electra’s lamentations filled with such sorrow and rage that one feels the onstage presence of the timeless tragedienne (I could see how Strauss’ chillingly angular music for his heroine comes from these original monologues that Hofmannstahl masterfully adapted.) There is also the clever introduction of a timid Chrysotemis, absent in the other two versions, as a foil to her tempestuous sister whose years of unrelenting grief for her father slain by her mother and her mother’s lover left her scarred and on the brink of madness. Then Elektra’s clashes with her mother Clytemnestra brought not only psychological tensions but also constantly switching moral arguments on the themes of vengeance, justice, and guilt. Finally there is Elektra and her brother Orestes, and their recognition scene upon his return from exile that was so moving in Sophocles that, in my reading, it was the emotional climax of the entire play.
Although no tragic event takes place (it happened with the murder of Agamemnon before the actions in the play start), it is clear that one is reading a tragedy. Its emotional core is in Elektra’s suffering and misery, powerfully expressed in her long lamentations and fierce encounters with her mother and, at a different level, her sister. (Although inspired by Sophocle’s version, the Hofmannstal-Strauss opera has a different ending .) This is not an exalted political or mythological presentation on a grand scale, rather an intense psychological domestic drama that can speak to a modern reader if in a good translation.
I read two translations, the classic from 1962 by Kitto (reissued in the Oxford World Classics with an excellent introduction by Edith Hall) and a more recent version from 2001 by Anne Carson, a great contemporary poet who also happens to be a classicist. Although initially planned for stage performance, each is perfectly readable as a literary work. Kitto’s is one of the rare attempts that tried to remain faithful to the poetic rhythm of the original play while not sounding archaic or sacrificing the content accuracy to the form. Carson, however, modernized it to such a great extent that it’s bordering on adaptation with hardly any sense that the play originated in ancient Greece, except for an unusual decision to retain the moaning sounds in the original Greek which Carson explains in her introduction. I still find them distractingly at odds with the modernized language and contemporary colloquialisms in the rest of her translated text. Her semi-adaptation works well as a modern play but, if we think we are reading Sophocles (it’s always a translator’s Sophocles), then I would prefer at least some elements in either spirit or style of an ancient classic. And, in that sense, Kitto remarkably succeeds, easily an excellent choice if someone wants to read only one translation.
Kitto’s translation 5 stars
Carson’s translation 3.5 stars
Although no tragic event takes place (it happened with the murder of Agamemnon before the actions in the play start), it is clear that one is reading a tragedy. Its emotional core is in Elektra’s suffering and misery, powerfully expressed in her long lamentations and fierce encounters with her mother and, at a different level, her sister. (Although inspired by Sophocle’s version, the Hofmannstal-Strauss opera has a different ending .) This is not an exalted political or mythological presentation on a grand scale, rather an intense psychological domestic drama that can speak to a modern reader if in a good translation.
I read two translations, the classic from 1962 by Kitto (reissued in the Oxford World Classics with an excellent introduction by Edith Hall) and a more recent version from 2001 by Anne Carson, a great contemporary poet who also happens to be a classicist. Although initially planned for stage performance, each is perfectly readable as a literary work. Kitto’s is one of the rare attempts that tried to remain faithful to the poetic rhythm of the original play while not sounding archaic or sacrificing the content accuracy to the form. Carson, however, modernized it to such a great extent that it’s bordering on adaptation with hardly any sense that the play originated in ancient Greece, except for an unusual decision to retain the moaning sounds in the original Greek which Carson explains in her introduction. I still find them distractingly at odds with the modernized language and contemporary colloquialisms in the rest of her translated text. Her semi-adaptation works well as a modern play but, if we think we are reading Sophocles (it’s always a translator’s Sophocles), then I would prefer at least some elements in either spirit or style of an ancient classic. And, in that sense, Kitto remarkably succeeds, easily an excellent choice if someone wants to read only one translation.
Kitto’s translation 5 stars
Carson’s translation 3.5 stars
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November 10, 2019Dönemin rutin eserlerinden biraz farklı buldum. Bol aksiyondan ziyade karakterin dramını anlattığı/paylaştığı/susmadigi (Elektra, bir nefes al bacım) aksiyonun sonlarda sınırlı kaldığı bir oyun. Ama tabii yine klasik sophokles oyun örgüsü. Yavaş yavaş açıyor kendini güzelce.
Bu adam günümüzde iyi bir yönetmen olurdu gibi geliyor bana. Bir Fincher, bir Nolan. Kurgu işinin hakkını fazlasıyla verirdi. Yazarlık da cabası. 👏👏
Bu adam günümüzde iyi bir yönetmen olurdu gibi geliyor bana. Bir Fincher, bir Nolan. Kurgu işinin hakkını fazlasıyla verirdi. Yazarlık da cabası. 👏👏
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August 30, 2022ترجمه انگلیسی و روان از آیان جانستون. قابل دسترسی به صورت رایگان از اینجا
http://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/so...
http://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/so...
March 9, 2023
2023 Review
I am dropping my rating to 4 stars, this is not a criticism on the play, it’s more a reflection of my journey as a reader, where this time round, I read this with less awe and being starry eyed.
I chose to read this again when this came up as one of the Goodread groups this month, I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but have read again since 2019.
This time, I wanted to read a translation written outside our time, so I chose one from 1906 by Lewis Campbell.
Back in 2019 it was harder for me to connect to Electra’s depth of grief, where nothing consoles her. This time it was different. This had nothing to do with the translation: quickly skimming over again Anne Carson’s translation, it flows better but Lewis Campbell’s translation, that is in the public domain, is good enough.
This difference comes from me having a better grasp of this old world – so once what seemed melodramatic now feels heartfelt.
However, my sympathies are still torn between both Electra & Clytemnestra. It’s really clever how the drama is presented so I can empathise with both their point of views.
It’s this complexity that makes this one easy to return to and read again.
2019 Review
Electra’s relentless grief for her father has lost her her noble status as she broods for avenging justice, her brother Orestes’s return to put things right.
This translation by Anne Carson gives this play by Sophocles a very modern feel. She achieves this with the dialogue exchange and the dramatic pacing. Like Euripides’s Electra, her mood is one tone, the kind that could very easily slip into melodrama especially if there are no new story details to take the impact of it. But this play handles it beautifully, not only did I see really well-rounded characters but the tension came in the twists and turns of the unfolding drama.
My favourite is the bantering between Electra and her sister Chrysothemis (a character not present in plays by Euripides). Electra feels Chrysothemis is betraying their father by not being aggrieved of his murder, Chrysothemis argues a pragmatic approach is better and that their father would understand if they do not pursue justice, Electra calls her a coward. This friction between siblings had a very contemporary feel, for a moment I was forgetting that I was reading a Greek tragedy from old times and felt more like a domestic drama of a very dysfunctional family.
I also liked how this play helped me to be clearer about the differences between the roles of men and women. This in turn improved my understanding of how ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ fit into a society back then, as I read more of these old stories, I am beginning to realise this is something I need to grasp to comprehend them better.
I am dropping my rating to 4 stars, this is not a criticism on the play, it’s more a reflection of my journey as a reader, where this time round, I read this with less awe and being starry eyed.
I chose to read this again when this came up as one of the Goodread groups this month, I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but have read again since 2019.
This time, I wanted to read a translation written outside our time, so I chose one from 1906 by Lewis Campbell.
Back in 2019 it was harder for me to connect to Electra’s depth of grief, where nothing consoles her. This time it was different. This had nothing to do with the translation: quickly skimming over again Anne Carson’s translation, it flows better but Lewis Campbell’s translation, that is in the public domain, is good enough.
This difference comes from me having a better grasp of this old world – so once what seemed melodramatic now feels heartfelt.
However, my sympathies are still torn between both Electra & Clytemnestra. It’s really clever how the drama is presented so I can empathise with both their point of views.
It’s this complexity that makes this one easy to return to and read again.
2019 Review
Electra’s relentless grief for her father has lost her her noble status as she broods for avenging justice, her brother Orestes’s return to put things right.
This translation by Anne Carson gives this play by Sophocles a very modern feel. She achieves this with the dialogue exchange and the dramatic pacing. Like Euripides’s Electra, her mood is one tone, the kind that could very easily slip into melodrama especially if there are no new story details to take the impact of it. But this play handles it beautifully, not only did I see really well-rounded characters but the tension came in the twists and turns of the unfolding drama.
My favourite is the bantering between Electra and her sister Chrysothemis (a character not present in plays by Euripides). Electra feels Chrysothemis is betraying their father by not being aggrieved of his murder, Chrysothemis argues a pragmatic approach is better and that their father would understand if they do not pursue justice, Electra calls her a coward. This friction between siblings had a very contemporary feel, for a moment I was forgetting that I was reading a Greek tragedy from old times and felt more like a domestic drama of a very dysfunctional family.
I also liked how this play helped me to be clearer about the differences between the roles of men and women. This in turn improved my understanding of how ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ fit into a society back then, as I read more of these old stories, I am beginning to realise this is something I need to grasp to comprehend them better.
May 18, 2018
Sophokles'in önceki tragedyalarından farklı olarak karakterin kendi ruhunda yaşananları yardımcı ama ana karakterlerle ortaya koyan "Elektra", Truva Savaşı dönüşü karısı tarafından hazırlanmış korkunç bir komploya kurban giden Agamemnon'un intikamının oğlu Orestes ve kızı Elektra tarafından alınışını işliyor. "İlyada"dan sonra geçen olay örgüsüyle "Odysseia" ile arasında köprü niteliği taşıyan oyunda Elektra'nın özellikle kendiyle olan diyalogları tek kelimeyle şaheser. Sophokles'in en olgun ve en edebi eseri olduğunu düşündüğüm oyunun bitiş şekli ise okuyucuda bu sefer alışagelmişin dışında hisler yaşatıyor.
08.08.2014
İstanbul, Türkiye
Alp Turgut
http://www.filmdoktoru.com/kitap-labo...
08.08.2014
İstanbul, Türkiye
Alp Turgut
http://www.filmdoktoru.com/kitap-labo...
July 19, 2015
إلكترا تسبح في بحور من الدموع. هي مثل طائر الليل الذي يبكي من حزن لا عزاء له
*****
ما لفت انتباهي في هذه المسرحية كان شخصية الأم فهي الشخصية المريضة حقا ! ، كان من الأجدر أن تسمى العقدة بعقدة(كليتيمنسترا) لا
(الكترا) ! ..
تلك الأم الظالمة التي قست على ابنتها و فرحت بخبر مقتل ابنها ! .. اما عن حزن الكترا و حنقها و رغبتها في الانتقام .. فقد كانوا مبررين إلى حد ما مع كل هذه الظروف
*****
ايضا لم الاحظ (سوفسطائية) سوفوكليس المزعومة فيما قرأته له من مسرحيات الى الآن
فمعظم أشخاصه دائما ما كانوا مؤمنين .. مبتهلين .. بل و متوسلين الى الآلهه .. لا يجدفوا الا حزنا و غضبا .. ليعودا من جديد الى ماكانوا عليه من ايمان نادمين على تجديفهم .. او طامعين في مغفرة الآلهة و تفهمها
!
مواضيع مسرحياته نفسها و عقدها كانت لأسباب دينية في المستوى الأول .. كالدفن و القصاص
نجد الكترا هنا مثلا تبرر الى الآلهه رغبتها في الانتقام .. بدعائها المخلص :
يا إلهي أبوللو، اسمع دعائي. أتوسل إليك أن تبارك خطانا وأن تحقق مسعانا. بين للإنسان أن الآلهة تصب جام غضبها على كل من يمارس فعل الشر.
..
نجد في مسرحياته ايضا نماذج ايجابية تمثل ذلك العالم الميثولوجي كـ (الكورس) بنات الإله
(أرجوس)
و هو الواقع الذي يدحض كل الدعاوي القائلة بسوفسطائيته
!
October 12, 2011
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."
If the point of these Greek dramas was that everyone already knew the plot and you were supposed to be dazzled by the oratory, I wasn't. 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.
November 4, 2019
am citit atâtea piese de teatru despre același subiect și personaje în ultima lună încât nu credeam că Electra lui Jean Giraudoux mă va surprinde💛
Citiți!
Citiți!
March 22, 2023
کریسوتمیس (خواهر الکترا، خطاب به الکترا): «لیکن مصلحت در آن می‌بینم که فعلا دم در کشم و چون یارای مقاومت و ستیزه ندارم ناچار در برابر طوفان سر خم کنم. ای کاش تو نیز چنین می‌کردی هرچند حق به جانب تو است و آن چه من می‌گویم مقرون به صواب نیست، اما من به حکم آن که می‌خواهم آزادی خویش را از کف ندهم ناگزیر سر به اطاعت و فرمان می‌نهم.»
November 21, 2022
Electra, otra de las célebres tragedias que nos ha legado Sófocles, toma lugar tras el asesinato de Agamenón a manos de su esposa, Clitemnestra, y el amante de ésta, Egisto. Muerto ya el gobernante, el reino pasa a ser regido por sus asesinos quienes viven absolutamente impunes tras el crimen cometido, gozando de cuanto placer pueda serles provisto.
La historia, además de antagonistas a los que es sencillo despreciar, nos ofrece héroes en la forma de Orestes y Electra, ambos hijos de Clitemnestra y Agamenón que repudiando las acciones de su madre tratarán de hacer justicia por la memoria de su progenitor. Pero, si bien es Orestes el responsable de llevar a cabo el acto físico de la venganza, es Electra quien le da título a la obra y quien constituye su atractivo fundamental.
Mientras Orestes se halla en el exilio fraguando un plan, Electra se ve forzada a convivir con una madre a la que repudia en un vínculo lleno de desaprobación y resentimiento que funciona en ambas vías. Sometida a los destratos de ésta y a tener que atestiguar cómo el asesino de su padre ocupa ahora su lugar. Electra encarna la imagen misma de la desolación, la pérdida y el hambre de justicia con una irrefrenable determinación que contrasta con la tranquila resignación de una de sus hermanas. Es un personaje que exuda fortaleza y complejidad emocional dotando de atractivo la historia aunque el final resulte tan abrupto.
La historia, además de antagonistas a los que es sencillo despreciar, nos ofrece héroes en la forma de Orestes y Electra, ambos hijos de Clitemnestra y Agamenón que repudiando las acciones de su madre tratarán de hacer justicia por la memoria de su progenitor. Pero, si bien es Orestes el responsable de llevar a cabo el acto físico de la venganza, es Electra quien le da título a la obra y quien constituye su atractivo fundamental.
Mientras Orestes se halla en el exilio fraguando un plan, Electra se ve forzada a convivir con una madre a la que repudia en un vínculo lleno de desaprobación y resentimiento que funciona en ambas vías. Sometida a los destratos de ésta y a tener que atestiguar cómo el asesino de su padre ocupa ahora su lugar. Electra encarna la imagen misma de la desolación, la pérdida y el hambre de justicia con una irrefrenable determinación que contrasta con la tranquila resignación de una de sus hermanas. Es un personaje que exuda fortaleza y complejidad emocional dotando de atractivo la historia aunque el final resulte tan abrupto.
August 19, 2016
50. Electra by Sophocles, translated by Anne Carson
- introduction and notes by Michael Shaw
- editors’ forward by Peter Burian and Alan Shapiro
first performed: c. 405 bce
translation 2001 (Anne's introduction comes from a 1993 lecture)
format: 130 page Oxford University Press paperback
acquired: borrowed from my library
read: Aug 11-15
rating: 4 stars
Just another Greek Tragedy, but this was different in presentation. 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.
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. She becomes the fury who harasses the murderers.
- introduction and notes by Michael Shaw
- editors’ forward by Peter Burian and Alan Shapiro
first performed: c. 405 bce
translation 2001 (Anne's introduction comes from a 1993 lecture)
format: 130 page Oxford University Press paperback
acquired: borrowed from my library
read: Aug 11-15
rating: 4 stars
Just another Greek Tragedy, but this was different in presentation. 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.
(in front of a covered corpse, that Aegisthus does not know is Clytemnestra.)Clearly a happy 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.
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. She becomes the fury who harasses the murderers.
By dread things I am compelled. I know that.
I see the trap closing.
I know what I am.
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