Sophocles' Electra focuses on the aftermath of the murder of Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army in its assault on the Troy, by his wife Clystemnestra upon his return from war. Understanding the background to the play--including the vicious history of Electra's family and the great saga of the Trojan War--can greatly increase on one's enjoyment and understanding of the play. After you have familiarized yourself with the basics of these myths, take a few minutes to learn about earlier literary versions of the Electra myth that influenced Sophocles and would have been in the minds of his original Athenian audience in the 5th century BCE.

Core Resources

• The Curse of the House of Atreus: Electra's family history.
• The Myth of the Trojan War: a quick synopsis of Troy, from its founding to the aftermath of its destruction.
• Other Electras: a summary of the significant Greek retellings of the Electra myth, including a summary of Aeschylus' treatment, and a comparison of those by Sophocles and Euripides.

Related Topics of Interest

• Electra and her brother Orestes appear in many works of ancient art.
• An excellent illustrated introduction to the Greek Theater; [another introduction, with more details]
• Study Guides: Temple; the Classics Pages.
• Reviews of other productions of the Electra: [Princeton] [Barrymore Theater] [Metrostage (VA)]
• Electra has entered pop culture through Freud's "Electra Complex", a feminine version of the better known "Oedipal Complex", in which the child conceives an erotic love for the parent. [Read a review of two books that consider the recent development of the myth]