Myrtilus Character Analysis in Electra

Myrtilus was the charioteer of the king of Pisa, who, in a chariot race against , was bribed by Pelops to sabotage the king’s chariot. According to some versions of the myth, once Pelops won the race, he also won the king’s daughter’s hand in marriage, and when Myrtilus asked for a night with the princess in exchange for helping Pelops win the race, Pelops killed Myrtilus by throwing him from his chariot into the sea. Before Myrtilus fell into the sea, he cursed Pelops and all his descendants, and Sophocles refers to this curse several times in Electra.

Myrtilus Quotes in Electra

The Electra quotes below are all either spoken by Myrtilus or refer to Myrtilus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Grief, Mourning, and Morality Theme Icon

).

When Pelops in past ages
Won the race with his chariot,
What never-ending sorrow
Struck this land!
When Myrtilus, his helper,
Was drowned beneath the ocean
Tossed headlong from his chariot,
He cursed the race of Pelops
And died in great anguish.
Since that day
This palace has been haunted
By suffering and anguish.

Related Characters: The Chorus (speaker), Electra, Orestes, Agamemnon, Iphigenia , Atreus, Pelops, Myrtilus

Page Number and Citation: 504-515

Explanation and Analysis:

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