Electra: Lines 251-470 Summary & Analysis

Electra tells the chorus that she feels “ashamed” of her laments, since they must make her seem bitter, but she also insists that she has no choice, especially because she is a woman who comes from a noble family. Electra and her mother, Clytemnestra, are now enemies, and Electra is forced to live with Agamemnon’s murderers and watch Aegisthus sit on her father’s throne. What’s worse, Electra is forced to witness the most infuriating thing of all: Aegisthus sleeping in the same bed Agamemnon once did. 

 Electra claims that Clytemnestra even appears to take pleasure in her despicable behavior. Every month, Clytemnestra dedicates the day she killed Agamemnon to dancing and making sacrifices to the gods. Clytemnestra forbids Electra to grieve and frequently abuses her, saying that she hopes Electra will be eternally tormented for her insistence on continuing to mourn Agamemnon.

Whenever Clytemnestra hears rumors that Orestes is coming back, she becomes furious and blames Electra for taking Orestes away from her and sending him far from home. For her part, Electra is tired of waiting for Orestes to return, and she’s starting to think he might never come. To the chorus, she muses that because everything around her is evil, she might have no choice but to behave evilly herself.

The chorus worries that Aegisthus may be close enough to hear, but Electra says that he isn’t home; she wouldn’t go outside if he were. The chorus asks Electra if Orestes is really on his way back to Argos. Electra claims that he’s said he’ll come, but that ”he never does what he says.” The chorus attempts to reassure Electra and tells her that men might hesitate before doing something difficult. “I never hesitated when I saved his life,” she says. Suddenly, Electra’s sister, Chrysothemis, approaches.

Chrysothemis asks Electra what she’s doing and reminds her that there’s no point in being angry after so long. Chrysothemis confesses that she herself is upset too, but nonetheless thinks it is smarter to keep a low profile and not pretend that she’s powerful enough to make any difference. She begs Electra to see reason, because even though Chrysothemis knows that Electra is right, the sisters have no choice but to obey those who are more powerful than themselves. Electra, however, accuses her sister of forgetting Agamemnon and thinking only of Clytemnestra. 

Electra refuses to stop mourning, telling Chrysothemis that irritating Agamemnon’s murderers is a way of honoring his memory. Her sister says that she hates Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, but Electra claims that Chrysothemis’s hatred is just an act. In Electra’s opinion, Chrysothemis is helping Agamemnon’s murderers, so instead of being called “Agamemnon’s daughter,” she should be called “Clytemnestra’s daughter.” Electra says that Chrysothemis has “betrayed” their family, at which point the chorus interrupts, begging both sisters to listen to each other instead of fighting.

Chrysothemis tells the chorus that Aegisthus is going to make Electra stop grieving soon. She claims that if Electra won’t stop publicly mourning, Aegisthus will bury her in a cave far away. Electra welcomes Aegisthus’s threat, but Chrysothemis says her sister is insane for not listening to her. Being submissive, Chrysothemis says, makes more sense than foolishly ensuring defeat, but Electra is unmoved. She maintains that she’ll accept defeat if that’s what she has to do to honor her father’s memory. 

Electra then asks Chrysothemis where she’s going, and to whom she’s bringing offerings. Chrysothemis says that she is carrying Clytemnestra’s libations for Agamemnon’s grave. Electra is shocked and wants to know why her mother is sending libations to her father’s grave. Chrysothemis explains that Clytemnestra dreamed that Agamemnon was alive, and that he took his staff (which Aegisthus now holds) and struck the hearth. From the hearth grew a “leafy branch” which covered all of Mycenae. 

Electra tells Chrysothemis not to deliver the libations as ordered. She tells her sister to instead discard the offerings and hide them deep in the earth where they will be unable to reach Agamemnon’s grave. Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon cruelly, Electra reminds Chrysothemis, so there’s no way gifts can undo that harm. She tells Chrysothemis to instead offer strands of hair from their heads and pray for Orestes to return. The chorus agrees and encourages Chrysothemis to do as Electra says. Chrysothemis consents, but she begs the chorus not to tell, saying that she would face terrible consequences if her mother found out.