How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used Lewis Campbell's translation.
Quote #1
THE CHORUS
May great Olympus' Lord
Return of evil still afford,
Nor let them wear the gloss of sovran ease! (209-212)
Electra keeps begging for other people – Orestes, Apollo, the Furies, Zeus – to bring vengeance upon her mother and Aegisthus. You might wonder why doesn't she just do it herself? Is there something different about a male seeking vengeance than a female?
Quote #2
ELECTRA
In darkness, and his foes shall not again
Render him blood for blood in amplest penalty. (247-8)
By the same logic, does Electra not deserve death at the end of the play? Where is the end-point of "blood for blood" vengeance? If there is no end-point, what does this say about this kind of vengeance?
Quote #3
ELECTRA
She watches for the hour wherein with guile
She killed our sire, and orders dance and mirth
That day o' the month (277-280)
Yet Electra seems to take just as much joy in the murder of Clytemnestra. It seems as though Electra's desire to seek vengeance "blood for blood" carries with it a degree of hypocrisy.