Lamentations and Justice in Sophocles’ Electra

The Golden Age of Athens (480s-404 BCE) was a time where wealth and the literary arts flourished, giving rise to famous tragedians such as Sophocles. Around 401 BCE, Sophocoles wrote his famous tragedy Electra, masterfully displaying the complexity of morality and familial relationships. In the tragedy, Electra excessively mourns Agamemnon’s death and seeks revenge against her mother, Clytemnestra. Once reunited with her brother Orestes, Electra propelled him to kill Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. However, the situation is not as straightforward. Why would Electra persistently mourn Agamemnon? Why does she consider her lamentations so important? So much so that she would plot the death of her own mother? By pursuing her lamentations zealously, Electra follows her sense of justice in an attempt to preserve Agamemnon’s memory and identity. Ironically, Electra doesn’t directly pursue the dirty work of her plans; instead, she pushes her own lamentations on others. 

Electra’s sense of justice consisted of bringing pain to Clytemnestra to bring honor back for Agamemnon. When the Chorus tries to tell Electra to let go of her mourning for Agamemnon, she replies, “What limit is there to my misery, tell me? / How can it be right to neglect the dead?” (Sophocles 236-237). From her response, Electra thinks that her misery should be infinite to compensate for the immensity of Agamemnon’s death. She believes that the dead shouldn't be neglected or forgotten. Thus, she gives insight on her own sense of justice: the living’s role should be to remember the dead. Electra elaborates on her response by saying, “If a dead man is earth or nothing at all . . . and they never pay back / the penalty for their crimes, / reverence would be doomed / and piety among all mortals'' (243-248). Electra further clarifies her sense of justice. Without some sort of accountability or justice after one’s death, there would be an overall decline in morality and religious devotion among humans. Because Agamemnon was murdered, Electra believes that the only way to get “justice” was for Clytemnestra (the murderer) to die. By giving pain to Clytemnestra, Electra believes that she would honor Agamemnon’s death. In other words, Electra’s sense of justice seemed to rely on the principle of “equivalent exchange”: something taken must be given back of equal value. On the other hand, Electra was not responsible for Agamemnon’s death, but she subjects herself to suffer more than anyone else in her household. Perhaps, it was due to familial obligations. Orestes was training elsewhere, and Chrysothemis was more eager to move on. Did Electra feel as though it was her duty as Agamemnon’s daughter? Or, was her grief caused by divine intervention? According to Apollo’s prophecy, Orestes was driven to avenge Agamemnon by killing both Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Clytemnestra also prayed to Apollo for Orestes’ death. However, Orestes comes back; does that mean that Apollo thinks Electra’s sense of justice was right? While there isn’t a straightforward answer, Electra chooses to make herself suffer comparably and become the “living dead.” 

The dialogue between Electra and her sister Chrysothemis represented two paths Electra could take: to look toward the future or remain in the past. After the Chorus, Chrysothemis also tries to convince Electra to give up her mourning. “But in times of trouble I must furl my sails, / seem to be inactive . . . if I don’t want to / be treated like a slave, I must obey my rulers” (334-339). Chrysothemis advised on what Electra should do: forget about achieving justice, live quietly, and look toward her future. Essentially, Chrysothemis told Electra that she would objectively lead an easier life if she gave up on her sense of justice. However, this action would rebuke Electra’s sense of justice. Electra quarrels with Chrysothemis by saying “I give pain to them, and in that way bring honor / to the dead. . .” (355-356). Electra chooses her sense of justice and sacrifices her livelihood for her mourning. In a sense, Electra also becomes part of the “living dead” because she decides to live in the past and honor Agamemnon’s memory; she doesn’t want to move forward. Perhaps, this characteristic also represents Electra’s sense of justice. In addition to bringing Clytemnestra physical pain, Electra would offer something more abstract: her future. By bringing justice toward Clytemnestra and sacrificing herself, Electra believes that she would bring retribution and honor to Agamemnon. 

Despite Electra’s passionate declarations of revenge, she didn’t take on a direct role in Clytemnestra’s murder. At the beginning of the play, Electra prays at her father’s grave in Mycenae. “. . . the gods reverend children, you see those who have died in injustice; / you see when marriage beds are stolen; / come, help me, avenge / the murder of my father . . . / For alone I am no longer strong enough / to support the heavy burden of my grief” (113-119). Electra prayed to Hades, Persephone, and the Furies to help her avenge Agamemnon by bringing back Orestes. These gods, especially the furies, are symbols of divine justice. However, they also represented the passiveness of Electra’s role. Electra primarily prayed for Clytemnestra’s retribution and Orestes’ return, refraining from any direct involvement in Clytemnestra's murder. Did Electra actually want Clytemnestra dead? Or, was she the manipulator? Soon, it was revealed that Orestes, not Electra, was the one who killed Clytemnestra at the end. While Orestes was murdering Clytemnestra, Electra offered commentary such as “But you [Clytemnestra] never / took pity on him or no his father!” and “If you can, hit her twice as hard!” (1413-1414, 1418). Here, Electra was simply encouraging him. Again, she had an incredibly passive role in Clytemnestra’s murder. The same trend continues with the murder of Clytemnestra’s lover, Aegisthus. While Orestes was preparing to murder Aegisthus, Electra encourages him by saying, “Kill him [Aegisthus] as soon as you can; kill him and put him / out for those who will soon come upon him, / out of our sight. For me that would be / the only recompense for my past troubles” (1487-1490). Electra brings up her sense of justice again: the idea of equivalent exchange. The quickness and effectiveness of Aegisthus’ death is of equal value to Electra's past struggles. Yet, Electra’s commentary also reflects her passive role in both murders. Interestingly, Electra orchestrated both murders, but Orestes was the actual executor. Despite fighting with Chrysothemis, could it be that Electra was slightly heeding her advice? Or perhaps, Electra wants Orestes to participate in giving honor back to Agamemnon as his son? Since Electra was the primary griever for Agamemnon, would she consider it unjust or impure if she dirtied her own hands? Frankly, Electra likely wanted Clytemnestra to die the same way Agamemnon did, which would serve as a reminder and solidify Clytemnestra’s final punishment. Given that Clytemnestra murdered her husband, Electra could have considered it was just for her to meet a similar fate at the hands of another man in the family, her son. 

An overarching question within this tragedy revolves around Electra’s profound mourning for Agamemnon. Why does Electra seem to care so much? Electra could be following her own sense of justice because she believed that Agamemnon was wrongly murdered. Electra’s justice seems to be centered on the idea of “equivalent exchange”: anything taken must be given back by something of equal value. This idea manifests itself in different ways throughout the play. Because Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon, Electra believed it was right for Clytemnestra to die playing into the cycle of death seen throughout the tragedy. She planned to give Clytemnestra equal pain to reflect the immense injustice of Agamemnon’s death. However, that idea seems to wane because Electra chooses to make herself suffer by excessively mourning Agamemnon, even though she didn’t contribute to his death. Furthermore, Electra’s interactions with Chrysothemis symbolize the different paths Electra could take: to look toward the future or remain in the past. This scene also represented a conflict of values. If Electra gives up her pursuit of revenge, then she could lead an objectively easier life. On the other hand, she would also have to give up her sense of justice and grief for Agamemnon. Ultimately, Electra decides to remain in the past and mourn Agamemnon, believing that her future and Clytemnestra’s death would bring honor for Agamemnon’s death. Despite Electra’s elaborate plan to murder Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, she had a considerable passive role in the actual murder. Instead, she was encouraging Orestes from the background. While there’s no clear answer, Electra likely wanted Clytemnestra and Aegisthus to die in the same way Agamemnon did, thus following her own sense of justice. Behind the complexities of her choices and motivations, Electra proves to be an interesting character by following her own sense of justice and achieving honor for Agamemnon’s death.