Meditation #4 The Electras -- K. Marchant -- 2/21/07

In Euripides’ Electra and Sophocles’ Electra the major difference that stuck out to me was that in Euripides’ version the majority of the action happens at the cottage of the peasant that Aegisthus married Electra off to. In Sophocles’ version the action happens outside of the palace if Agamemnon and Electra is not married. This to me shows a difference in how the playwrights were trying to portray Electra. At the palace the audience might not be as sympathetic towards her while at the cottage they might be more inclined to be on her side because of her situation.

Another difference that stuck out was how the character of Electra and Orestes’ sister Chrysothemis, who propels the action of the story in Sophocles’ version by discovering that someone had gone to Agamemnon’s tomb was replaced in Euripides’ version by a combination of Electra’s husband, the peasant and the old man who took Orestes to safety. The supporting characters propelled the action by what they said to Electra and how they helped her and Orestes’ with their plan or in Chrysothemis’ by how they didn’t help with the plan.

Something else that I found interesting was who brought the news of Orestes’ death to Electra. In Sophocles’ version a friend of Orestes’, Paidagogos, brings the news of Orestes’ death to the palace and Electra, who was standing outside talking to the chorus. While in Euripides’ version Orestes himself, disguised as a weary traveler tells Electra himself. Why did Euripides decide to have Orestes himself break the news and why did Sophocles decide to have a friend of Orestes bring the news?