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Lines 871-1057
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Electra, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Grief, Mourning, and Morality
Justice and Revenge
Gender and Society
Deception, Falsehood, and Trust
Summary
Analysis
“Oh, where is wisdom?” the chorus asks, going on to suggest that it lives in the sky with the birds, who take good care of their own family members. The women call again to Zeus, telling of the a “plague” that has fallen on Agamemnon’s house. The children battle with one another; Electra despises Chrysothemis, and it seems as if peace will never come. Electra now fights alone, “Nightingale-like” in her endless mourning.
Sophocles again implies that revenge and killing are immoral, especially within families, as the chorus looks to nature and the birds as an example of familial devotion. Birds love and care for their parents and offspring no matter what, and this aligns with Sophocles general argument that one’s family should always be honored.
Themes
