Eripides Electra
It has often been said that time heals all wounds. Although I believe this statement to be true, I find it incomplete. Time may heal, but it never forgets. This fact is apparent in our literature, both classical and modern. It is an oddity of the human condition: we are fascinated by evil and wrongdoing. History has forgotten all too many heroes, but not one villain. In this way, we define ourselves and speak the truth of our very nature. Deep within each of us is a repressed bloodlust, the dark side nature has built in and civilization has tried to tear out, that can be satisfied in this way. After all, any story is simply a means to know and understand something that can never truly be experienced; a means to live vicariously. The evening news, like many forms of modern media, is notorious for its frequent portrayal of tragedy, but is utterly inept at depicting triumph. It is a fear of evil that compels us to watch and learn it. In this way, we feel protected, more safe, simply because we arrogantly assume an understanding of that which potentially threatens us. It is also a fear of evil's temptation that draws us to its literature. When we see what happens to those who lack resolve, isn't our own reinforced? Or maybe still it i
In Euripides' Electra, the single noblest character is, ironically, the simple Farmer. He is a man of high principals and integrity. Although she is his wife, the Farmer refuses to "defile" Electra's bed by sharing it because she is of noble blood and he is not. Despite the difficult life he leads, to which Electra only further contributes, the Farmer's resolve never falters while she is with him. He remains true to his principles until fading away early in the play without so much as ever being given a name. In stark contrast, Orestes, whom (by the society in which this play is set) is considered a noble, and his sister Electra, also a noble by birth, commit a string of homicides and ultimately murder their own Mother. This play has not survived for thousands of years because of the Farmer. It became and has remained a popular work because of the unthinkable acts and atrocities of which it tells tale. Like much of Greek mythology, Electra is filled with little more than pain, suffering, and lessons learned "the hard way". This play appeals to the reader/viewer's subconscious infatuation with the tragic while at the same time conveying a moral, albeit it a half-hearted one. At the conclusion of Electra, Orestes is harshly punished (by the gods) for his crimes, but at the same time, his equally guilty sister, whom literally thrusts forth Orestes' dagger hand into their mother breast, gets off with little more than the proverbial slap on the wrist; Electra returns to the good (noble) life. This contradiction is down-played somewhat by the fact that her ends are a bit more subtle then the exonerative justice cast down upon he, thus it often easily goes unnoticed when put into context with the rest of the play. It is, however, still an important part of Electra's message and appeal. Through the use of this paradox, I believe Euripides is speaking to the temptable side of his audience. The human soul is a two-sided coin, thus it is only fitting that a play about the human condition should end in an amalgamation of outcomes. This play is about risk, crime, and punishment. The farmer commits no crime, refuses temptation, and thus lives a (presumably) long and happy life in general obliquity after being rewarded for his rather meager role in the drama. Orestes commits a particularly terrible sin - for it is not only against the gods but also his blood - and is punished seemingly accordingly. Electra commits
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lenina Henry, , Electra Orestes, Dante's Inferno, Euripides' Electra, Inferno Virgil, Electra Euripides', World Bernard, Earth Dante, dante's inferno, infatuation evil, creates hell, human condition, huxley's world, hell earth,
Approximate Word count = 1629
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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