Euripides’ Electra: Misery and Lamentation

In this short piece, I want to focus on Electra’s monody near the beginning as it embodies the overarching theme of misery that permeates this play. This is primarily exemplified by the fact that it is in the form of a monody, which is a typical song used in tragedy to lament and detail misery.

Electra’s repetitive references to tears and weeping characterises and associates this monody with tears and lamentations. For example, the repetitions to “weeping”, “many tears”, “I can cry” and “laments” (84-85) ultimately structures this monody as one pertaining to the utmost misery. Additionally, it sets the tone for the rest of the play, while signifying the importance of weeping. Furthermore, this imagery of weeping and “tears”(84) structures this monody

I think what’s important particularly in this passage is that Electra self-identifies and self-characterises herself as “Electra the wretched” (84). Instead of the chorus for example, identifying Electra as “wretched” (84), Electra does this and by doing so she isolates herself from everyone in this play by taking away the power of identifying. Furthermore, the term, known as an epithet, “the wretched” (84) implies a persistent and unchanging state which further adds to the theme of suffering and lamentation.

Electra’s tone is further characterized by self-loathing and self-detestation, in addition to the repetitive lamentations and weeping. This characterization of self-loathing is exemplified by the repetitive possessive pronoun “my” when Electra states “my cruel suffering” and “my hateful existence” (84). Electra’s self-detestation further extends to her detestation surrounding her family and this is illustrated by “my miserable brother” (84). Note how Electra repetitively uses the possessive pronoun for herself and even extends it to her family as well and even though this detestation links her family together, her tone suggests her desire for her continued isolation from her family.

In conclusion, this piece details the few ways in which lamentation and misery are constructed in the play, and exemplifies that important and significant songs, also known as monodies, help to structure and set the tone.

Works Cited

Euripides, Electra. Translated by James Morwood, OUP Oxford, 2008.