Electra

Electra has different relationships with each of her family members. Select one of these three family members—Clytemnestra, Chrysothemis, or Orestes—and analyze Electra’s relationship with them. What major themes emerge from these relationships?

The bulk of the play comprises Electra’s debates with various family members. What is the role of rhetoric in these debates? What made rhetoric important in Greek culture (during Sophocles’s time)?

Paedagogus plays an important role in Electra, despite him not being a lead character. Why is Paedagogus important? What is his advice to Orestes and Electra and why does it prove vital to their plan? Think of the intersection of language and action.

Trace the play’s use of light imagery. What does this imagery suggest about the power of words and their connection to simultaneous transformations?

What is Clytemnestra’s definition of motherhood and how does it conflict with Electra’s definition? What commentary does the play provide on motherhood?

Analyze the role of the Chorus. How does the Chorus in Electra differ from that of other Greek plays? How are they similar? What valuable insight does the Chorus provide and how does it add sustenance to the play overall?

Analyze the final words of the play, spoken by the Chorus:

“O see of Atreus: you suffered and broke free, you took aim and struck; you have won your way through to the finish” (2006-2010).

How does this quote relate to the play’s themes of familial ties and ethics?

Find instances of personification in Electra. Why are gods, values, and virtues personified and how does this device add to the plot?