Other Electras: Aeschylus and Sophocles

Euripides: Electra

In this course, Professor Judith Mossman (University of Nottingham) explores Euripides’ Electra, a play which depicts a brother and sister avenging their father’s death by killing their own mother. As we move through the course, we think about a number of issues, including: earlier treatments of the figure of Electra by Aeschylus and Sophocles, the characterisation of Electra and Clytemnestra, the scene in which Electra recognises her long-lost brother, the role of the Chorus in the play, and the meaning of the ending.

Other Electras: Aeschylus and Sophocles

In this module, we think about how the myth of the killing of Clytemnesta had been portrayed by other, earlier writers—particularly in Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Sophocles’ Electra.