Characters of Clytemnestra and Electra in Orestes trilogy : compare of these two characters

1. SAMI UL HAQ M PHIL 2ND SEMESTER
LAHORE LEADS UNIVERSITY

2.  According to Greek
she was the most
beautiful lady of the
world.
 She is the wife of
Menelaus.
 Her abduction by
Paris results in
Trojan war last for
10 years.
 Troy was in modern
day Turkey.
www.occultopedia.com

4. Wife of
Thyndareus
Zeus appeared in
form of Swan to
her.
 Their meeting
resulted in two
eggs.
lulebel.deviantart.com

5. From first egg:
 Castor
 Clytemnestra
Second egg:
 Helen
 Polydeuces
Thewonderoftwins.worldpress.co
m

6.  He advocates the
importance of male in
society .
 This superiority is
throughout Trilogy
and specially in “The
Furies”
 He is of the point of
view that intelligence
and wit while exalted
in men are
threatening
characteristics in
women.
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7.  Agamemnon
 Clytemnestra
 Watch man
 Herald
 Messenger
 Aegisthus
 Soldiers
 Servants (Door keeper)
 Elders of Argos (Chorus)
 Slave women (Chorus
 Orestes
 Electra
 Servant
 Pylades (Friend of
Orestes and son of the
king of Phoces)
 Cilissa (Who nursed
Orestes)
 Erynies
 Priestes
 Apollo
 Ghost of Clytemnestra
 Athna
 Athnian citizens

8. Clytemnestra
breaks
tradition
where as
Electra
preserves the
status quo.

9.  Aeschylus presented her in Agamemnon as a
simple women obsessed with the thought of
loss of her daughter.
 He shows her as neither too bad nor too
good.
 She is consumed with the thoughts of
revenge.
 She displays more intelligence than others,
the way she manipulates the events leading
up to Agamemnon’s execution.

10. “Spoke like
a man, my
lady, loyal ,
full of self
command”
(Aeschylus
116)
Elexaadams.blogspot.com

11.  She has been having
an open affair with
Aegisthus.
 Chorus condemn her
this act with
Aegisthus although
it was a normal
practice for men in
those days to have
many extramarital
affairs. In this way
Aeschylus condemn
double standard.
 She is the
protagonist of the
play.
 It was she who spark
a debate between
Apollo an Furies
,weather matricide
was just.

12.  Agamemnon and
Clytemnestra before
marriage.(Euripides)
 Agamemnon kill
Tyndarus(Clytemnes
tra’s husband).
 He raped
Clytemnestra and
forced into
marriage.
 Clytemnestra
welcome her
husband.

13.  She made a system
of bacons
(Watchman)
 She want to know
first that Trojan war
is finished.
 She persuaded
Agamemnon to walk
upon the sacred
tapestries which
would incur the
god’s wrath.

14.  She lies Electra that it was Cassandra to push
her kill Agamemnon.
 She exiles Orestes to secure her position as
queen.
 She reduce Electra to serventitude.
 She is having no room for maternal feelings.

15.  She kill her husband to avenge the death of
Iphigenia.
 Aeschylus Clytemnestra is ruthless and
manipulative.
 Homer’s Clytemnestra weak and submissive.

16.  Sigmund Freud
 Carl Jung
 Electra complex
 Psychosexual
 Electra complex in
literature
 Sylvia Plath poem
“Daddy”
 Stages
 Oral
 Anal
 Phallic (3-6 years0
 Latent
 Genetal
Wiswqeek.org

17.  She loses her father and brother.
 She also loses the only family she ever had
(her mother) as she became a wife to
Aegisthus.
 She is also reduced to serventitude by her
mother.
 She also is obsessed with thoughts of revenge
(Justice to be done).
 She victimizes Clytemnestra.

18.  Her love turned into
hatred after the
sacrifice of Iphigenia.
 Clytemnestra was
obsessed with thoughts
about loss of her
daughter.
 She succeeded in her
revenge by killing her
husband.
 She was not having any
maternal feelings
Electra and Orestes.
 She possesses manly
qualities.
 She exiles Orestes to
secure her position.
 She reduced Electra to
serventitude.
 She was having an open
affair with Aegisthus.
 Much persuasive.
 Antagonist of the play.
 Breaker of traditions.
 Ruthless and
manipuative.

19.  She is also
obsessed with
thought to avange
the death of her
father.
 She loses father ,
brother and finally
her mother.
 She also is
succeeds in her
mission.
 She is faithful to
her father.
 She is the
preserver of status
quo.