Clytemnestra: Oh, women are fools for sex, deny it I shall not.
Since this is in our nature, when our husbands choose
to despise the bed they have, a woman is quite willing
to imitate her man and find another friend.
But then the dirty gossip puts us in the spotlight;
the guilty ones, the men, are never blamed at all.
If Menelaus had been raped from home on the sly,
should I have had to kill Orestes so my sister's
husband could be rescued? You think your father would
have borne it? He would have killed me. Then why was it fair
for him to kill what belonged to me and not be killed?
I killed. I turned and walked the only path still open,
straight to his enemies. Would any of his friends
have helped me in the task of murder I had to do?

Given the variety of dramatic treatments the story of Orestes killing his mother receives, Euripides's Electra is the most visceral. Electra and Orestes coordinate their efforts for justice for their father Agamemnon, who was struck down by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Orestes kills Aegisthus while Aegisthus is at an altar sacrificing a bull for the gods. Clytemnestra is killed in the very act of entering her daughter's house to perform prayers for the birth of a son. As an audience, we hear Clytemnestra's reaction after entering the house, her horror at finding her children ambushing her. We hear her harrowing pleas.

Clytemnestra and Helen are sisters, of course. Helen, whether she absconded with or was abducted by Paris, is the reason Clytemnestra loses her daughter Iphigeneia. Her justification for her subsequent actions, though dismissed by her children, is convincing. She argues there is a double-standard at work: besides herself, no one sought vengeance for Iphigeneia because Iphigeneia is a girl; on the other hand, Electra and Orestes seek vengeance for Iphigeneia's murderer, Agamemnon, because he is a father and a man. Her feminist argument, however, is dismantled by Electra, who believes Clytemnestra had begun betraying her husband long before the Iphigeneia incident. It's food for thought both ways. The ending weakens the work, by having a divine apparition (related to Clytemnestra at that) proclaim how Orestes' murder trail will have a long-lasting impact on legal verdicts.

Still, this is a good play. The characters are more real, their emotions and thoughts more realistic. A good afternoon read and a good work to compare to the others dramatizing the same story.

In questa tragedia ho rivisto la crudezza delle migliori opere di Euripide. Sarà che la saga degli Atridi mi affascina sempre non poco, ma la vendetta di Oreste ed Elettra ha una bellezza feroce che si percepisce anche qui. Interessante tutto il background della storia di Elettra, a cui finalmente viene dato spazio.

آدمیان را همان گونه که می‌یابی داوری کن، پیمانه پاک زادی منش است.

یه نمایشنامه‌ی دیگه از دوران طلایی یونان باستان... به نظرم به پای ادیپ شهریار نمی‌رسید (البته من ارادت زیادی به سوفوکل دارم) اما نمایشنامه‌ای پر مغز و فوق‌العاده بود که مثل آنتیگونه به مسائل خانواده و محبت و خشم در خانواده می‌پرداخت این‌که وقتی دوست دشمن باشه واقعاً آدم چه واکنشی باید نشون بده؟ به پاس دوستی‌ها بگذره یا جزای دشمنی رو بپردازه؟ جز علاقمندی‌هام خواهد بود.

(3.5 stars)

This is my second read of a translation, by Janet Lembke & Kenneth J Reckford. The last time I read this was 5 years ago.

Like the second part of Aeschylus’s Oresteia this also gives an acknowledgement to the legal process as the play wraps up. However, this is not what drives the play.

Another difference between the two versions is that this has that Euripides mark, where the women are more interesting for their depth.

I also like how Euripides’s Electra has been married off to a lowly farmer, strengthening her motive for revenge.

My favourite character is the farmer (in other translations he is named as a peasant). He has a much smaller part but his calmness and sincerity is a really nice balance against the revenge that gets a bit gory.

Electra by Euripides is not something I would read for leisure, it’s not a fun read, and it’s a slow burner. But it is worth reading just to see another dramatic portrait of Electra, or if like me you’re piecing together these myths. If you are then this is a fascinating read.

I can't believe I've never logged Electra

با اینکه ۲۴۰۰ سال پیش نگاشته شده اما بیش از حد خوب بود‌.

Like most of other readers, I also prefer Sophocles Electra, though the story is prety interesting to read in different perspectives ...
الکترا که پس از مرگ پدر و ازدواج دوباره ی مادر و تبعید برادر، تنها و مورد بی مهری مادر است، با کشاورزی ساده و مهربان ازدواج کرده است. مادرش کلی تمنسترا سرسپرده ی شوهر تازه اش ائه جیستوس، پادشاه آرگوس است. اورسته برادر الکترا که نزد پادشاه فوسیس بزرگ شده، با دوستش پیلادس، فرزند شاه، به آرگوس بازگشته است. اورسته بی آن که به پیلادس بگوید، به قصد انتقام مرگ پدر به آرگوس آمده. آنها نزد الکترا و شوهرش می روند. الکترا مشتاق همکاری با برادر است اما پس از کشته شدن کلی تمنسترا و ائه جیستوس، فشار حس گناه بر شانه هایش، نسبت به شرکت در جنایت احساس گناه می کند و از رفتن همراه برادر سر باز می زند....

اوری پید (480 تا 406 پیش از میلاد) در میان سه تراژدی نویس مشهور یونان، جوان ترین آنهاست. او حدود نود و پنج تراژدی و کمدی نوشته که تنها هژده تای آنها باقی مانده است. مده آی او که تصور می کنم توسط ابوالحسن ونده ور به فارسی برگردانده شده، شاید تنها تراژدی اوری پید باشد که به زبان فارسی ترجمه شده. ویژگی کار اوری پید استفاده از شخصیت های معمولی ست. استفاده از شکل جعبه ای صحنه ی تیاتر (بر خلاف صحنه ی دایره وار یونانی در وسط تماشاگران) را به اوری پید نسبت می دهند، جعبه ی سه دیواره ای که تا دوران معاصر، توسط شکسپیر، راسین، ایبسن، استریندبرگ و تا دوران معاصر بکار گرفته می شد. ویژگی دیگر آثار اوری پید، علاقه و همدردی او نسبت به شخصیت هاست، به ویژه زنان، به گونه ای که در همان زمان هم برای تماشاگران مرد، حیرت انگیز می نمود، مورد توجه اوری پید بوده اند. به همین دلیل "مده آ" یکی از تراژدی های او، از مشهورترین و در عین حال زیباترین شاهکارهای تراژدی دنیاست.

So I had to read this for school. And I was really excited actually, because I love Greek mythology so much, but this book was kinda flat plot wise.

The thing is this play is very confusing if you know nothing about Greek mythology (thank god i do, because if I didn’t I would fail my exam). Also the grammar structure is really weird. I guess that’s because of the translation.

Anyway this story was basically a pair of siblings wanting to avenge their father’s dead by killing their stepdad and mother.
And was really meh, to be honest.

(Also, side note: so I couldn’t help it, this book reminded me about the Sakamaki brothers from diabolik lovers

yknow that tiktok audio of all the girls screaming with the violin music in the background? yeah this is what this play feels like

اگه مثل من تاحالا توی زندگیتون چیزی از اسطوره های یونانی نشنیدین بنظرم کتابو بذارین کنار و یه ذره سرچ کنید بعد بخونید وگرنه هیچی نمیفهمید.

It’s a beautiful tragedy, and there’s a rich complexity and unease that makes Euripides’ version so rich. I love the ethical nuances and gray areas which touch the measure-for-measure matricide and patricide that brother and sister unite to wreak. It feels much more of a brother-sister Union.

Electra often speaks very ancient-Greek sentiments about women and how they should be subject to men. Clytemnestra’s objections are valid enough, and Iphigenia’s death was a grievous thing, and the Trojan War may not have been worth it all.

Both have considerable claims.

Euripides really puts these two against each other wonderfully.

I think I might prefer it to Sophocles’ Electra (which is also a great tragedy)