Electra

“Already the sun is hot upon us.

Birds are shaking, the world is awake. Black stars and night have died away.

So before anyone is up and about let’s talk. Now is no time to delay.

This is the edge of action.”

Paedagogus opens Electra, setting the play in motion. He alludes to the impending murder of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus when he calls the opening the “edge of action.” The importance of action, in a play where much of the plot is driven by wordplay, is showcased.

“As for me —

what harm can it do

to die in words?

I save my life and win glory besides!

Can a mere story be evil? No, of course not —

so long as it pays in the end.

I know of shrewd men who die a false death

so as to come home all the more valued.

Yes, I am sure:

I will stand clear of this lie

and break on my enemies like a star.”

In order to avenge his father Agamemnon, Orestes decides to “die in words”—or rather, he charges Paedagogus with lying to his family about his death. The power of speech will manipulate others’ perception of reality throughout the play. Light imagery is also evoked, with Orestes comparing himself to a star—such imagery capturing other characters’ future shock upon realizing the prince’s true identity.

“Like the nightingale who lost her child

I will stand in his doorway

and call on his name.

Make them all hear.

Make this house echo.”

Electra mourns the loss of her father, Agamemnon, who was murdered in the doorway of his own home upon returning from the Trojan War. Her desire to avenge her father’s death is evident, as is her direct opposition to the new house formed by her mother Clytemnestra marrying Aegisthus.