Read complete books and articles on: Electra (Sophocles)

Sophocles - sŏfˈəklēz, c.496 b.c.–406 b.c., Greek tragic dramatist, younger contemporary of Aeschylus and older contemporary of Euripides, b. Colonus, near Athens. A man of wealth, charm, and genius, Sophocles was given posts of responsibility in peace and in war by the Athenians. He was a general and a priest; after his death he was worshiped as a hero. At the age of 16 he led the chorus in a paean on the victory of Salamis. He won his first dramatic triumph in 468, over Aeschylus, and thenceforth wrote copiously (he composed about 123 dramas), winning first place about 20 times and never falling lower than second. A definitive innovator in the drama, he added a third actor—thereby tremendously increasing the dramatic possibilities of the medium—increased the size of the chorus, abandoned the trilogy of plays for the self-contained tragedy, and introduced scene painting. Seven complete tragedies (difficult to date), part of a satyr play, and over 1,000 fragments survive. Ajax is perhaps the earliest tragedy; three actors are used but the form is handled imperfectly. In his other plays, whether with two or three actors, the dialogue is polished and smooth. Antigone (c.441) contains extraordinarily fine characterization. The most famous of his tragedies (cited by Aristotle as a perfect example of tragedy) is Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannus (c.429), in which Greek dramatic irony reaches an apex. The plot is based on the Oedipus legend. Electra (date uncertain), the Trachiniae (date uncertain; on the death of Hercules by the blood of Nessus), and Philoctetes (409) followed. Oedipus at Colonus was written shortly before Sophocles' death and was produced in 401. A sequel to Oedipus Rex, it tells of the last days and death of Oedipus; it is a quiet, simple play of great beauty and power. There is also extant about half of a satyr play (Ichneutae or The Trackers, written perhaps c.460) on Hermes' theft of Apollo's cattle. The characters in Sophocles are governed in their fate more by their own faults than by the actions of the gods as in the tragedies of Aeschylus. Sophocles is supposed to have said that Aeschylus composed correctly without knowing it; Euripides portrayed people as they were; and he painted people as they ought to be. The translation by Richmond Lattimore and David Grene, The Complete Greek Tragedies (1959) is one of the many English translations of Sophocles.

See studies by C. H. Whitman (1951), A. J. A. Waldock (1966), R. P. Winnington-Ingram (1980), and C. Segal (1981).

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13 of the Best Books and Articles on: Electra (Sophocles)

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1.

Antigone; Oedipus the King; Electra » Read Now
by Sophocles, H. D. F. Kitto, Edith Hall. 178 pgs.

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This volume contains three masterpieces by the Greek playwright Sophocles, widely regarded since antiquity as the greatest of all the tragic poets. The vivid translations, which combine elegance and modernity, are remarkable for their lucidity and accuracy, and are equally suitable for reading for...
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This volume contains three masterpieces by the Greek playwright Sophocles, widely regarded since antiquity as the greatest of all the tragic poets. The vivid translations, which combine elegance and modernity, are remarkable for their lucidity and accuracy, and are equally suitable for reading for pleasure, study, or theatrical performance. The selection of Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Electra not only offers the reader the most influential and famous of Sophocles' works, it also presents in one volume the two plays dominated by a female heroic figure, and the experience of the two great dynasties featured in Greek tragedy--the houses of Oedipus and Agamemnon.
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2.

Electra and the Empty URN: Metatheater and Role Playing in Sophocles » Read Now
by Mark Ringer. 256 pgs.

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Metatheater, or "theater within theater", is a critical approach often used in studies of Shakespearian or modern drama. Breaking new ground in the study of ancient Greek tragedy, Mark Ringer applies the concept of metatheatricality to the work of Sophocles. His innovative analysis sheds light on...
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Metatheater, or "theater within theater", is a critical approach often used in studies of Shakespearian or modern drama. Breaking new ground in the study of ancient Greek tragedy, Mark Ringer applies the concept of metatheatricality to the work of Sophocles. His innovative analysis sheds light on Sophocles' technical ingenuity and reveals previously unrecognized facets of fifth-century performative irony.
Ringer analyzes the layers of theatrical self-awareness in all seven Sophoclean tragedies, giving special attention to Electra, the playwright's most metatheatrical work. He focuses on plays within plays, characters who appear to be in rivalry with their playwright in "scripting" their dramas, and the various roles that characters assume in their attempts to deceive other characters or even themselves. Ringer also examines instances of literal role playing, exploring the implications of the Greek convention of sharing multiple roles among only three actors.
Sophocles has long been praised asone of the,masters of dramatic irony. Awareness of Sophoclean metatheater, Ringer shows, deepens our appreciation of that irony and reveals the playwright's keen awareness of his art.
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3.

A Commentary on the Plays of Sophocles (includes a chapter on Electra) » Read Now
by James C. Hogan. 390 pgs.

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...The Theater of Sophocles 3...225 Electra 270...plays like the Electra and Philoctetes...dialogue, but neither Sophocles nor Euripides ever...frequent and varied. Electra...
4.

Staging Premodern Drama: A Guide to Production Problems (includes "The Electra of Sophocles: A Problem of Proportion") » Read Now
by Lee Mitchell. 237 pgs.

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"This wise volume, written by a veteran director and observer of premodern plays, offers good advice for neophyte and experienced directors." Choice
5.

Sophocles and the Tragedy of Athenian Democracy (Chap. 8 "Electra") » Read Now
by Josh Beer. 192 pgs.

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6.

On Aristotle and Greek Tragedy (includes "Sophocles's Electra: The Orestes Myth Rephrased") » Read Now
by John Jones. 284 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Literature, Entire Library

...1. Sophocles; Electra: The Orestes Myth Rephrased...141 2. Sophocles and The Pletics...1. Euripidess Electra; A Third Version of...in both cases; with Sophocles, Jebbs...
7.

Intimations of Christianity among the Ancient Greeks (includes "The Laments of Electra and the Recognition of Orestes") » Read Now
by Simone Weil, Elisabeth Chase Geissbuhler. 210 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, Entire Library

...RECOGNITION OF GOD AND OF MAN SOPHOCLES: ELECTRA AND ORESTES Electra...Orestes in Aeschylus the Electra of Sophocles is not in that perspective...RECOGNITION OF ORESTES...
8.

Greek Tragedy on the American Stage: Ancient Drama in the Commercial Theater, 1882-1994 (includes "Greek Tragedy Comes of Age: 1915-1935") » Read Now
by Karelisa V. Hartigan. 161 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

During the past century, the interpretation given by the various directors staging Greek drama has varied, and the critical reception accorded the productions has also altered. While the texts of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides remain constant, the meanings drawn from their plays do not. The...
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During the past century, the interpretation given by the various directors staging Greek drama has varied, and the critical reception accorded the productions has also altered. While the texts of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides remain constant, the meanings drawn from their plays do not. The director who decides to offer a Greek tragedy in the modern American commercial theater believes in the ability of the text to reach the contemporary audience, and the reviewers assess the success of the venture: their words become a record of both a particular performance and the time in which it played. Hartigan explores how drama and society interact and witnesses the continued vitality of the Greek tragedy.
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9.

Sophocles Revisited: Essays Presented to Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones (includes "Sophocles' Electra in Britain") » Read Now
by Jasper Griffin, Hugh Lloyd-Jones. 343 pgs.

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Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones was Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford University from 1960 to 1989. A scholar of commanding intelligence and learning, he has made important contributions to our knowledge of ancient Greece across the full range from textual analysis to Greek religion and the classical...
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Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones was Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford University from 1960 to 1989. A scholar of commanding intelligence and learning, he has made important contributions to our knowledge of ancient Greece across the full range from textual analysis to Greek religion and the classical tradition. In September 1997 a group of his friends, mostly former pupils and established scholars themselves, gathered to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday and to offer him a set of papers on Sophocles, an author especially close to his heart. This volume collects those papers, which give very varied approaches to the poet, his work, and his influence. Professor Bernard Knox contributes a portrait of Sir Hugh as a scholar and a man as an introduction to the volume.
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10.

Greek Poetry and Life: Essays Presented to Gilbert Murray on His Seventieth Birthday, January 2, 1936 (includes "The Date of the Electra of Sophocles") » Read Now
by Gilbert Murray. 402 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library
11.

Greek Tragedy: A Literary Study (includes information on Electra in "Middle Tragedy: Sophocles") » Read Now
by H. D. F. Kitto. 412 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

...4. THE ELECTRA 128...THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOPHOCLES 142...X NEW TRAGEDY: SOPHOCLES 290 1...1. THE ELECTRA 332...supposed death in Sophocles Electra . The scene is...
12.

World Drama from Aeschylus to Anouilh (includes information on Electra in "The Glory of the Greek Theater: Sophocles") » Read Now
by Allardyce Nicoll. 1000 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

...F. Storr translation of Sophocles Electra and from Arthur S. Way...THE HOUSE OF ATREUS AGAIN: "ELECTRA" Of all Sophocles one hundred and twenty dramas...immediately...
13.

Electra » Read Now
by Anne Carson, Michael Shaw. 127 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly recreate the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order...
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Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly recreate the celebrated and timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. Under the general editorship of Peter Burian and Alan Shapiro, each volume includes a critical introduction, commentary on the text, full stage directions, and a glossary of the mythical and geographical references in the play. Although it has been at times overshadowed by his more famous Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone, Sophocles' Electra is remarkable for its extreme emotions and taut drama. Electra recounts the murders of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus by Clytemnestra's son Orestes, to avenge their murder of his father Agamemnon, commander of the Greeks at Troy, upon his return home. Sophocles' version is presented from the viewpoint of Electra, Orestes' sister, who laments her father, bears witness to her mother's crime, and for years endures her mother's scorn. Despite her overwhelming passion for just revenge, Electra admits that her own actions are shameful. When Orestes arrives at last, her mood shifts from grief to joy, as Orestes carries out the bloody vengeance. Sophocles presents this story as a savage though necessary act of vengeance, vividly depicting Electra's grief, anger, and exultation. This translation equals the original in ferocity of expression, and leaves intact the inarticulate cries of suffering and joy that fill the play.
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