Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus

How is it possible that there can be multiple versions of the same story? Wouldn’t the differences between the plots discredit the story as a whole? This is the case with the varying accounts of the return of Orestes by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Each of the three has written different interpretations of the story of a brother and sister’s attempt to avenge their father’s death. One would assume that the mere presence of three varying versions of the event would discredit the validity of the story. After all, true historical facts would not be so controversial. However, I believe that one must accept the consistencies between the stories as trivial effects of the varying interpretations.

One can see how the accounts differ when examining how Electra comes to believe that Orestes has returned. In The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus, Electra is suspicious that her brother is in town because she sees a lock of his hair and his footprints near her father’s tomb. Her suspicion is confirmed when Orestes shows her an article of clothing he was given as a child. This is different from Sophocles’s account in Electra. In his version, Electra doubts that Orestes is who he says he is until she sees her father’s ring on his hand. This ring convinces her of Orestes identity. However, Euripides writes in his story of Electra that she sees a lock of Orestes’s hair, his footprints, and an article of his childhood clothing and still doubts his return. She only believes that the man is her brother when she sees a scar on his forehead from when he was a child. These differences suggest that none of the three stories is to be trusted because the accounts are too inconsistent with one another.

However, I think that these discrepancies are somewhat irrelevant. I think that there will by differences between the versions of all stories that are passed on throughout time. The more important thing is the fact that each of the three stories describes two siblings that yearn to avenge their father’s death. Each story depicts Electra’s initial disbelief of Orestes’s return. For a story that has been known to hundreds of generations, I think the idea that this story is still alive is impressive. The details of the story can vary, but the overall plot is the same; therefore proving the story more valuable for its mere existence and survival throughout time.