Rival in Love - Electra Written by Euripides

ENG 2403 FINAL PAPER

Xijia Zhu (Susie)

0930898

Rival in Love

     Electra is a famous Greek tragedy written by Euripides in 5th century BCE, which is the origin of a psychoanalytic term – Electra complex. According to a psychology expert Kendra Cherry’s article, “Electra complex is used to describe a girl’s sense of competition with her mother for the affections of her father.” This definition comes from the relationship between Electra and her mother Clytemnestra. To put it in another way, their parent-child relationship is hostile. Electra saw her mother Clytemnestra as her rival in love. Some details in this tragedy reveal their hostile relationship.

     Electra’s plan is the first clue that shows the hostile relationship between Electra and Clytemnestra. Electra and her brother Orestes were exiled from their country after their father Agamemnon was killed by their mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Electra and Orestes once were noblemen but now live a poor and tough life. When the old man appeared, who was one of the former servants of Agamemnon, he asked Electra about her plan to slay Clytemnestra. Electra replied without hesitation, “go and bring her here just tell her I am so fulfilled and joyous that I just had a son I gave birth.” Electra designed her revenge against her mother, who gave birth to her. Planning a murder, or I would rather say, slaughter, is time-consuming. Electra spent dozens of her time in order to come up with the perfect one to kill Clytemnestra. In this case, the first time Electra came up with plan which is used to kill her mother Clytemnestra, their relationship is reversing from family to enemy. Clytemnestra was an enemy rather than a mother to Electra. What’s more, Electra foresaw what her mother would do after receiving the message. Electra said “She will be murdered when she shows her face where I can see it.” This sentence indicates her determination to get Clytemnestra’s life. Electra saw murder as “game” as well. She could not wait to play it anymore. She didn’t consider death was a just consequence for Clytemnestra but saw her pain as an enjoyment. Her behavior is no longer aiming for justice, but simply revenge. All the evidences are capable of proving their hostile relationship.

     In Electra’s mind, the behavior that Agamemnon killed her sister was forgivable while Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon on the other hand was absolutely unforgivable. In Electra’s logic, although her mother Agamemnon sacrificed her own daughter for war, it didn’t change the fact that Agamemnon was the hero of Troy. Clytemnestra would not tolerate this decision. Losing her own daughter planted deep hatred on her heart which turned out to be an idea of murdering Agamemnon. Different logics differs the way of these two women and preventing them from negotiation. When Electra and Clytemnestra met at Electra’s house and talked to each other, Clytemnestra tried to explain to Electra about her father’s death but failed. The result of Electra’s death only stimulated Electra’s hostility to her. Electra used satirical sentences such as “both you and Helen are so beautiful” and “yet you might have been so virtuous” to express her resentment. She said that “Clytemnestra killed for blood and honor it’s same in principle.” She pointed out that if she and Orestes killed Clytemnestra, it would be the same as what she had done before. Electra loved her father. Clytemnestra killed the one she loved. And seemed whatever the motivation Clytemnestra may had could not change Electra’s hostility towards Clytemnestra.