Same but different
I found it strange how different the two versions of Electra actually were; I expected roughly the same story, albeit with maybe a slight change in dialogue from one version to the next. This was certainly not the case. Not only were some of the characters different, but the order of events, as well as the events themselves changed looking from Sophocles' telling of the tale to that of Euripides. The only similiar aspect I noticed between the two was that of the offerings on Agamemnon's grave. Even so, the context with which that scene occured in the two versions of the story was very, very different. It just goes to show that people often interpret things in very different ways. Take the bible for example - it was written by many, many people over many years, and the stories take form in so very many different versions written by many different people, all interpreting things in their own ways. It seems that it's up to each individual reader to accept a version of Electra's story for themselves, or perhaps choose a happy medium that combines elements from both varaitions of the tale.
posted by Libby @ 11:50 AM
4 Comments:
You are completely right - it is strange to look at two works with the same name and then see how different they are. That's one of the things we talked about a lot in my adaptation CI. You're also right in the fact that is does come down to the read to pick which version or what parts of each telling they want to accept as truth.
I think this is the same type of thing as stories like Pocahontas or Cinderella. You hear so many different versions, but it is up to yourself to decide whether or not you want to believe any of them. I also think that the playwrites may have written them differently not only because they interpret them differently, but also because one might want to add more of a dramatic effect, while the other might want more of a comedic effect.
I agree with you. I think that multiple versions of the same story can be a result of many generations passing down the tale by word of mouth. Each person will interpret stories differently and thus tell them differently. However, I think you should also keep in mind from a theatrical standpoint that perhaps the play wrights CHOSE to change the story for a dramatic purpose. Perhaps one playwright needed to add a character in his adaptation that another playwright would not have needed.
The multiple versions of the same story does seem like it is because of the different generations passing it down. It's a lot like when I hear a story and maybe forget how tall a guy was but I remember him being tall I usually exaggerate a whole lot.
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