Otis Singleton
Electra, also spelt Elektra, is a popular mythological character in ancient Greek tragedies. She is the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and the sister of Orestes, Iphigenia, and Chrysothemis. In the plays Electra by Sophocles and Euripides, she is a vengeful soul who plots to kill her mother Clytemnestra with her brother Orestes. In psychology, the Electra complex is named after her, referring to a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. While portrayals of Electra in Ancient Greece did not generally present her devotion to her father as sexually motivated, more modern adaptations have often presented the character as exhibiting incestuous desires.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Family | Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, with siblings Orestes, Iphigenia, and Chrysothemis |
| Father's Death | Killed by Clytemnestra, her mother, and Aegisthus, her stepfather |
| Revenge | Plotted with her brother Orestes to avenge her father's death by killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus |
| Portrayal | Devastated by her father's death, Electra is portrayed as wild, angry, and consumed with revenge |
| Electra Complex | Named after Electra, the complex refers to a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for her father's possession |
| Interpretations | Some modern adaptations portray Electra as exhibiting incestuous desires, though ancient Greek portrayals did not |
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What You'll Learn
- Electra's father, King Agamemnon, was killed by her mother, Clytemnestra
- Electra plotted with her brother Orestes to avenge Agamemnon's death
- Electra is a central figure in Greek tragedies and ancient Greek drama
- In psychology, the Electra complex is named after her
- Electra's portrayal in ancient Greek drama was not sexually motivated, but modern adaptations often present her as exhibiting incestuous desires
Electra's father, King Agamemnon, was killed by her mother, Clytemnestra
Electra, the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae, is one of the most popular mythological characters in Greek tragedies. She is the main character in two Greek tragedies: Electra by Sophocles and Electra by Euripides. She is also the central figure in plays by Aeschylus, Alfieri, Voltaire, Hofmannsthal, Eugene O'Neill, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
When King Agamemnon returned from the Trojan War, 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 Clytemnestra and possibly her lover.
Electra was absent from Mycenae when her father returned from the war. When she returned home from Athens, she and her brother Orestes plotted to kill their mother and her lover to avenge their father's death. According to Pindar, Orestes was saved by his old nurse or by Electra from being killed by his mother. Orestes was then taken to Phanote on Mount Parnassus, where King Strophius took charge of him. When Orestes was 20, the Oracle of Delphi ordered him to return home and avenge his father's death.
There are different portrayals of Electra in ancient Greek plays and literature. Aeschylus' Electra is unsure of her ability to avenge her father but is certain that revenge is necessary. She turns to her brother Orestes to take the role of the avenger, uncertain or unwilling to kill Clytemnestra herself. In contrast, Sophocles' Electra is uncontrollably saddened by her father's murder, which fuels her desire for revenge. Euripides' Electra tempers her emotions to accomplish her goals, portraying avenging her father as a necessity rather than an emotional endeavour.
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Electra plotted with her brother Orestes to avenge Agamemnon's death
Electra is a popular mythological character in Greek tragedies. She is the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and the sister of Orestes.
Electra's father, Agamemnon, went to fight in the Trojan War. While he was away, Clytemnestra took a lover, Aegisthus, and together they usurped the throne of Mycenae. When Agamemnon returned, he brought with him the Trojan princess Cassandra, who had already borne him twin sons. Upon their arrival, Agamemnon and Cassandra were murdered, either by Clytemnestra herself, by Aegisthus, or by both of them. Clytemnestra had held a grudge against Agamemnon for sacrificing their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to ensure favourable winds for sailing to Troy.
Eight years later, Electra returned home from Athens at the same time as her brother, Orestes. According to Aeschylus, the pair met at the tomb of Agamemnon, where they both went to perform rites for the dead. Orestes, now twenty, had been ordered by the Oracle of Delphi to return home and avenge his father's death. Electra and Orestes plotted to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, avenging the death of Agamemnon.
In Euripides' portrayal, Electra is the leader of the entire machination, setting the trap that kills Clytemnestra. Orestes is not an equal partner in the murder. Aeschylus and Sophocles, however, present Orestes and Electra as equal partners in Clytemnestra's murder. In Aeschylus' version, Electra is uncertain of her ability to avenge her father, so she turns to her brother to take on the role of avenger, unsure if she can kill her own mother.
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Electra is a central figure in Greek tragedies and ancient Greek drama
Electra, also spelt Elektra, is one of the most popular mythological characters in Greek tragedies and ancient Greek drama. She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, Electra by Sophocles and Electra by Euripides. She is also the central figure in plays by Aeschylus, Alfieri, Voltaire, Hofmannsthal, Eugene O'Neill, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
In Sophocles' Electra, Electra is portrayed as a wild and empathetic character consumed with anger and revenge. She is devastated by her father's death and longs for her brother Orestes' return. Electra is determined to avenge her father's death and plots to kill her mother, Clytemnestra, and her stepfather, Aegisthus, with Orestes. Aeschylus portrays Electra as uncertain of her ability to avenge her father, turning instead to her brother to take on the role of the avenger. Euripides' Electra is colder and more calculating, setting the trap that kills Clytemnestra, with Orestes playing a less central role.
In psychology, the Electra complex, proposed by Carl Jung, is named after her. It refers to a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. While this concept is not widely used by mental health professionals today, it has been influential in literature and film.
Portrayals of Electra in Ancient Greece did not generally present her devotion to her father as sexually motivated. However, more modern adaptations have often interpreted the character as exhibiting incestuous desires.
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In psychology, the Electra complex is named after her
Electra, also spelt Elektra, is a popular mythological character in Greek tragedies. She is the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Electra's story is one of tragedy and betrayal. Her father, King Agamemnon, goes off to fight in the Trojan War. While he is away, her mother takes a lover, and together they usurp the throne. When King Agamemnon returns, he brings with him a mistress, the Trojan princess Cassandra, who had already borne him twin sons. Upon their arrival, Agamemnon and Cassandra are murdered, by Clytemnestra herself, her lover Aegisthus, or both.
In psychology, the Electra complex is named after Electra. The complex is a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. It is a term for daughter–mother psychosexual conflict, deriving from the Greek mythological character Electra, who plotted matricidal revenge with her brother Orestes against their mother Clytemnestra and her stepfather Aegisthus for the murder of their father Agamemnon. The idea was proposed by Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung in 1913 as part of his Theory of Psychoanalysis. It occurs in the third, or phallic stage (ages 3–6) of five psychosexual development stages. The Electra complex is not widely used by mental health professionals today due to a lack of empirical evidence.
Portrayals of Electra in Ancient Greece did not generally present her devotion to her father as sexually motivated. However, since the 20th century, adaptations of the Electra story have often presented the character as exhibiting incestuous desires. For example, American poet Sylvia Plath acknowledged that her poem 'Daddy' (1962) is about a woman afflicted with an unresolved Electra complex.
In the plays, Electra is consumed with anger and revenge. She is a wild and empathetic character, mourning at her father's grave, where she meets her brother Orestes, and they plot to murder Clytemnestra. Electra is understood as being uncertain of her ability to avenge her father, though she is certain that revenge is necessary. She turns to her brother to take the role of the avenger, uncertain or unwilling to kill Clytemnestra herself.
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Electra's portrayal in ancient Greek drama was not sexually motivated, but modern adaptations often present her as exhibiting incestuous desires
Electra, one of the most popular mythological characters in ancient Greek tragedies, is the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Electra's father, King Agamemnon, fought in the Trojan War and upon his return, brought with him a mistress, the Trojan princess Cassandra, who had borne him twin sons. Clytemnestra, who had taken a lover during Agamemnon's absence, lured him into a bath and killed him, avenging the death of her daughter Iphigenia, who had been sacrificed to the gods by Agamemnon.
Electra, devastated by her father's death, is portrayed as a wild and empathetic character consumed with anger and a desire for revenge. She plots matricidal revenge with her brother Orestes, against Clytemnestra and her stepfather Aegisthus. While Electra is portrayed as vengeful and angry, her devotion to her father does not appear to be sexually motivated in ancient Greek drama. However, modern adaptations often present her as exhibiting incestuous desires, with the concept of the Electra complex coming into play.
The Electra complex, proposed by Carl Jung in his Theory of Psychoanalysis, refers to a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. It occurs during the phallic stage (ages 3-6) of a girl's psychosexual development, when she becomes aware of her body and that of others. Upon realizing she does not have a penis, the girl transfers her libidinal desire to her father, increasing sexual competition with her mother. This concept has been used to interpret Electra's devotion to her father in modern adaptations, resulting in portrayals of incestuous desires.
In ancient Greek drama, Electra's portrayal is more nuanced. Aeschylus, for example, depicts her as uncertain of her ability to avenge her father, turning to her brother Orestes to take on the role of avenger. Euripides' Electra tempers her emotions to accomplish her goals, with the act of avenging her father understood as a necessity rather than an emotional endeavor. This portrayal has been interpreted as representing the strength of unmaternal temperaments and an understanding of the gendered world Electra navigates.
While Electra's character in ancient Greek drama is complex and multifaceted, it is important to note that her devotion to her father does not appear to be sexually motivated. The interpretation of her actions through the lens of the Electra complex is a modern development, influencing how her character is adapted and presented in contemporary works.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Electra was not in love with her father. She was, however, devastated by his death and consumed with anger and revenge. She plotted matricidal revenge with her brother, Orestes, against their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus, for the murder of their father Agamemnon.
The Electra complex is a psychoanalytic term for a daughter's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. The term was coined by Carl Jung in 1913.
Electra's mother, Clytemnestra, was angry with her husband, Agamemnon, for sacrificing their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis. When Agamemnon returned from the Trojan War with the Trojan princess Cassandra, Clytemnestra lured him into a bath and killed him. Electra was furious with her mother for usurping the throne with her lover and for killing her father.
Electra is the main character in two Greek tragedies: Electra by Sophocles and Electra by Euripides. In the plays, Electra is mourning at her father's grave when she meets her brother Orestes. They plot to murder Clytemnestra and Orestes kills her, with Electra helping in some accounts.
