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melizzie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
miabiddell's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good classic, very quick to read. I felt that there are, however some better books out there and also it lost some of its interest in written form.
fifthavenuelion's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
manuelac's review
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
godotwillseeyounow's review against another edition
3.0
I like that Electra seems so daring and bold. She's not afraid of what fellow human beings can do to her, but of gods' wrath and that her house will remain unavenged (much like Antigone in a way). She will not be quieten down. If Orestes had really died, she would have been the one to kill their mother and Aegisthus.
And I like that the role of Chrysothemis, Electra's sister, exists so that the reader (or spectator) can see the alternative of what Electra could be doing and how the story could have gone. It's like you need both sides, the opposition, to really understand why one is good and the other dishonourable.
That being said, Electra's mourning and all her lamentations reach a point where they seem almost excessive, and while I do understand the context and all, when the Chorus told her to tone it down I wholeheartedly agreed.
And I like that the role of Chrysothemis, Electra's sister, exists so that the reader (or spectator) can see the alternative of what Electra could be doing and how the story could have gone. It's like you need both sides, the opposition, to really understand why one is good and the other dishonourable.
That being said, Electra's mourning and all her lamentations reach a point where they seem almost excessive, and while I do understand the context and all, when the Chorus told her to tone it down I wholeheartedly agreed.
lnatal's review against another edition
3.0
From BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3:
Kristin Scott Thomas stars in the Greek tragedy by Sophocles, in a new version by Frank McGuinness. This classic tale of power and revenge was originally performed in an acclaimed run at The Old Vic Theatre in London in Autumn 2014, with music composed by PJ Harvey. The stage production was directed by Ian Rickson.
Electra is bound by grief following the murder of her father Agamemnon, unwilling to forgive and consumed by a desire for revenge, her anger builds. On the return of her brother Orestes, Electra's fury explodes without mercy, leading to a bloody and terrifying conclusion.
Electra was co-produced by The Old Vic and Sonia Friedman Productions.
Music composed by PJ Harvey
Directed for radio by Ian Rickson
Produced for radio by Nadia Molinari
Kristin Scott Thomas stars in the Greek tragedy by Sophocles, in a new version by Frank McGuinness. This classic tale of power and revenge was originally performed in an acclaimed run at The Old Vic Theatre in London in Autumn 2014, with music composed by PJ Harvey. The stage production was directed by Ian Rickson.
Electra is bound by grief following the murder of her father Agamemnon, unwilling to forgive and consumed by a desire for revenge, her anger builds. On the return of her brother Orestes, Electra's fury explodes without mercy, leading to a bloody and terrifying conclusion.
Electra was co-produced by The Old Vic and Sonia Friedman Productions.
Music composed by PJ Harvey
Directed for radio by Ian Rickson
Produced for radio by Nadia Molinari
kxowledge's review against another edition
5.0
“Sophoclean tragedy enables us to respond to the suffering and death that are part of human existence.”
Electra indeed is the undisputed protagonist of this play. On a superficial level there are many similarities with Antigone, but it would be a disservice to both plays to compare one another.
Electra’s state is characterized by pain and anger and she knows she is blinded by her grief and her passion, yet she also thrives in in this pit of emotions. She could let it go and, like her sister Chrysothemis, behave more sensibly. But she doesn’t want to. She cannot and will not rest. What does she stand to gain if she ceases her lament? Her life has no meaning or hope left anymore when she finds herself abandoned and betrayed by her whole family.
Always alive, much like in every other Sophoclean play, is the question of justice. But it’s not θεμις, the divine justice, but το δικαιον which refers more to a context of moral relativism. Analogously to Aeschylus’ Oresteia, the lines are blurred – when did the injustice started? whose original fault is it? is fate cruel? is the end just but the means used wrong?
No character is entirely sinful, each has its own justification and strategy of action. (Can a mere story be evil? No of course not) And, as always, the cost of enacting justice is high. And from noble suffering, we get to vengeance. If at first the chorus agrees that justice is coming with clear signs before her and righteousness in her hands , towards the end the tone is softened and the theme of μη λιαν becomes prominent in the verses (choruses, old men and women representing wise age and popular thought, are always suspicious of extreme behaviour).
Was it right he should die for it at your hands? By what law? Electra says to Clytemnestra in reference to Agamemnon’s murder (due to him sacrificing Iphigenia). Open your eyes, the claim is a fake. Yet, the same applies to Electra herself. In this context, Electra is identically compelled to avenge the dead, and all her sheer force of emotion points to her role as a Fury (and one of the ways that Furies answer the prayers of those unjustly murdered is to drive the guilty person out of his mind) which Clytemnestra directly implies, and which becomes apparent as the end approaches.
[Notes: I highly recommend this version translated by Anne Carson + italics are quotes]