Both
“Electra” and “Alcestis” are Greek tragedy play. “Electra” is written by Greek
tragedian Sophocles and “Alcestis” is by the ancient Greek playwright
Euripides. The central character of both the plays is a woman and the plays are
named by those central female characters “Electra” and “Alcestis”. In the plot
both the characters are portrayed as woman of courage and determination.
Electra
was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and the sister of Iphigenia,
Chrysothemis and Orestes. The play
opens in Mycenae, in Ancient Greece. As background to the play, King Agamemnon
of Mycenae (or Argos in some versions of the myth) had returned from the Trojan
War with his new concubine, Cassandra. His wife, Clytemnestra, who had borne a
grudge against Agamemnon for many years since he had sacrificed their daughter
Iphigenia at the start of the Trojan War in order to placate the gods, and who
had in the meantime taken Agamemnon's ambitious cousin Aegisthus as a lover,
killed both Agamemnon and Cassandra. Orestes, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra’s
infant son, was sent abroad to Phocis for his own safety, while his sister
Electra remained in Mycenae (although more or less reduced to the status of
servant), as did their younger sister Chrysothemis (who, however, did not
protest or look for vengeance against their mother and Aegisthus). As the play
begins, many years after Agamemnon’s death, Orestes, now a grown man, arrives
in Mycenae in secret with his friend Pylades of Phocis and an old attendant or
tutor. They hatch a plan to gain entrance to Clytemnestra’s palace by
announcing that Orestes was dead, and that the two men (really Orestes and
Pylades) are arriving to deliver an urn with his remains. Electra has never
come to terms with her father Agamemnon’s murder, and laments his death to the
Chorus of Myceaean women. She argues bitterly with her sister Chrysothemis over
her accommodation with her father's killers, and with her mother, whom she had
never forgiven for the murder. Her only hope is that one day her brother
Orestes will return to avenge Agamemnon. When the messenger (the old man of
Phocis) arrives with news of the death of Orestes, therefore, Electra is
devastated, although Clytemnestra is relieved to hear it. Chrysothemis mentions
that she has seen some offerings and a lock of hair at Agamemnon’s tomb and
concludes that Orestes must have returned, but Electra dismisses her arguments,
convinced that Orestes is now dead. Electra proposes to her sister that it is
now up to them to kill their hated step-father Aegisthus, but Chrysothemis
refuses to help, pointing out the impracticability of the plan. When Orestes
arrives at the palace, carrying the urn supposedly containing his own ashes, he
does not recognize Electra at first, nor she him. Belatedly realizing who she
is, though, Orestes reveals his identity to his emotional sister, who almost
betrays his identity in her excitement and joy that he is alive.
On
the other hand, Alcestis was the daughter of Pelias, king of Iolcus and either
Anaxibia or Phylomache and wife of King Admetus. In the prologue to the play,
the god Apollo explains some of the prior events leading up to the moment:
Apollo had once persuaded the Fates to grant King Admetus of Pherae in Thessaly
the privilege of living past the allotted time of his death, (his life was to
have been cut short after he had upset Apollo’s sister, Artemis) as recompense
for the hospitality the King had shown Apollo during the time he was exiled
from Mount Olympus. However, the gift came with a price: Admetus must find
someone to take his place when Death comes to claim him. Admetus’ old parents
were unwilling to help him and, as the time of Admetus' death approached, he
had still not found a willing replacement. Finally, his devoted wife Alcestis
agreed to be taken in his stead, because she wished not to leave her children
fatherless or to be left herself bereft of her beloved husband. At the start of
the play, she is close to death and Thanatos (Death) arrives at the palace,
dressed in black and carrying a sword, ready to lead Alcestis to the
Underworld. He accuses Apollo of trickery when he helped Admetus cheat death in
the first place and Apollo tries to defend and excuse himself in a heated
exchange of stychomythia (short, quick alternating lines of verse). Eventually
Apollo storms off, prophesying that a man would come who would wrestle Alcestis
away from Death. Unimpressed, Thanatos proceeds into the palace to claim
Alcestis. The Chorus of fifteen old men of Pherae lament the passing of
Alcestis, but complain that they are still unsure whether or not they should be
performing mourning rituals for the good queen yet. A maidservant gives them
the confusing news that she is both alive and dead, standing on the brink of
life and death, and joins the Chorus in praising Alcestis' virtue. She
describes how Alcestis has made all her preparations for death and her
farewells to her sobbing children and husband. The Chorus leader enters the
palace with the maidservant in order to witness the further developments.
Within the palace, Alcestis, on her death-bed, entreats Admetus never to
remarry again after her death and allow a vicious and resentful stepmother to
take charge of their children, and never to forget her. Admetus readily agrees
to all this, in return for his wife’s sacrifice, and promises to lead a life of
solemnity in her honour, abstaining from the usual merrymaking of his
household. Satisfied with his vows and and at peace with the world, Alcestis
then dies. The hero Heracles, an old friend of Admetus, arrives at the palace,
ignorant of the sorrow that has befallen the place. In the interests of
hospitality, the king decides not to burden Heracles with the sad news,
assuring his friend that the recent death was simply that of an outsider of no
account, and instructs his servants to likewise pretend that nothing is amiss.
Admetus therefore welcomes Heracles with his usual lavish hospitality, thus
breaking his promise to Alcestis to abstain from merrymaking. As Heracles gets
more and more drunk, he irritates the servants (who are bitter at not being
allowed to mourn their beloved queen properly) more and more until, finally,
one of them snaps at the guest and tells him what has really happened. Heracles
is mortified at his blunder and his bad behaviour (as well as angry that
Admetus could deceive a friend in such an embarrassing and cruel way), and he
secretly decides to ambush and confront Death when the funerary sacrifices are
made at Alcestis' tomb, intending to battle Death and force him to give
Alcestis up. Later, when Heracles returns to the palace, he brings with him a
veiled woman whom he gives to Admetus as a new wife. Admetus is understandably
reluctant, declaring that he cannot violate his memory of Alcestis by accepting
the young woman, but eventually he submits to his friend's wishes, only to find
that it is in fact Alcestis herself, back from the dead. She cannot speak for
three days after which she will be purified and fully restored to life. The
play ends with the Chorus thanking Heracles for finding a solution that none
had foreseen.
From
above, the comparison between Electra and Alcestis could be discussed. Electra,
the protagonist of the drama, has an extremely complex role in that the
principles of justice and honor to which she so stubbornly adheres require her
to do the unthinkable—to participate in her mother's death. What adds to the
inherent complexity of Electra's position is the increasing evidence throughout
the play of the uncertainty of Electra's grasp on the very standards of justice
that motivate her. It is clear from the outset that Electra is right to mourn
her father's murder by her mother. Her mourning is a natural response to an
awful occurrence, and she claims that although she does not necessarily choose
grief, she feels forced, as if by the principles of honor, to act as she does.
Electra's mourning results in her abuse by both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus,
who, perhaps threatened by Electra's refusal to let go of the past, treat her
as little better than a slave in her own house. Electra is willing to suffer in
the name of honor, and, in the name of justice, she rightfully longs to avenge
her father's death. Yet Electra soon undermines her position in her initial
encounter with Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra insists that she murdered Agamemnon
to exact revenge for his sacrifice of their daughter. Electra counters by
arguing that justice cannot be achieved by answering a killing with another
killing but this raises questions about the integrity of Electra's character
for Electra herself longs to avenge her father's death. However, Electra has
been determined to avenge her father death throughout the play and she stands
against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus courageously even though she dwells among
them. Her determination was strong and permanent.
In
contrast, Alcestis demonstrates her profound love for King Admetus by
surrendering her own life so that he may live. In doing so, she also surrenders
the joy of her children and her own desires for the future. She was willing to lay down her life on
behalf of her husband, when no one else would, although King Admetus had a
father and mother; but the tenderness of her love so far exceeded theirs, that
she made them seem to be strangers in blood to their own son, and in name only
related to him. Alcestis has shown the determination to save her husband and
courage to face death and this action of hers appear so noble to the gods, as
well as to men, that she is one of the very few to whom God have granted the
privilege of returning alive to earth; such exceeding honour is paid by the
gods to the devotion and virtue of love.
Finally
it can be stated that both the protagonists Electra and Alcestis are women of
courage and determination in the plays though both of them are driven by their
emotion. They have shown their courage and determination in the course of their
action. But their sources of courage and determination are completely
different. If Electra’s courage and determination are result of revenge of her
father’s death, then the determination and courage of Alcestis derives from her
profound love for her husband and family.
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