ELECTRA, ANCIENT AND MODERN: ASPECTS OF THE RECEPTION OF THE TRAGIC HEROINE Fine

Institute of Classical Studies Bulletin Supplement 113; 250 pages; Electra is a unique, complex, and fascinating Greek tragic heroine, who became a source of inspiration for countless playwrights, artists, musicians and filmmakers. The daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra she famously supported her brother’s quest to avenge their father’s murder even at the cost of matricide. Her passion for justice and her desire for vengeance have echoed down the centuries to the modern era. Enshrined as the mourner of Greek tragedy par excellence Electra has enjoyed a long and rich reception history. Electra, ancient and modern, examines the treatment of Electra by all three ancient tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and their dialogue with the mythical tradition that preceded them. The focus then shifts forward in time to case studies of her reception in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Gradually Electra’s dark desires re-emerge over the course of these three centuries until her passionate cries for vengeance are heard once again. Through its detailed analysis of Electra, this book also provides a helpful introduction to the study of Classical Reception, its ambitions and methods.