Sophocles, Electra: A daughters anger

Trying to put my buffer of posts back together is proving a little more difficult than I had hoped, but we seem to be getting somewhere now. Work is progressing well enough and I am still happy to have my part time hours. My Hubby is looking for work at the moment and is considering going back to milk tanking, which has some pretty antisocial hours but it does pay well. Oh well! We will see how the process goes.

Story
Electra is Sophocles' version of the return of Orestes and the death of his mother. It starts with Electra and her younger sister, who has never spoken out against their mother for killing their father, meeting at their father's grave. Electra is there to mourn and wish their mother's demise, where as her sister is there to bring a grave offering from their mother. Their mother is not remorseful about what has happened but is worried about a dream she had, prophesying the return of her, now grown, son, Orestes, and his vengeance.
A messenger arrives at the Palace announcing Orestes' death. Electra is inconsolable but her mother is mildly smug as she now thinks she is safe.
We see Electra again at her father's grave site and a stranger approaches looking for the palace. They do not initially recognise each other but Orestes, the strange, eventually realises he is talking to his sister. Together they plot the downfall of their mother, their father's murderer. The play ends with Orestes killing their mother and her new husband.

Reflections
This is a story we see a few times in the early Greek plays. The real difference with this telling is the focus on Electra's anger. Electra has basically been demoted by her mother to the position of a servant and spends her free time mourning her father. This focus bring Electra to the fore of the story and makes Orestes seem more like a bit player. It is interesting to see this story without the previous play and I think it loses a little bit, if you wasn't familiar with the over-arching story.

Comparisons
This is the same story we see in the The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus, but with the focus shifted from Orestes to Electra. As such it is again a generic tragedy and it is suggested that both plays are based on an older lost text. When compared to Sophocles' other work, it seems a little softer, maybe that's just my foreknowledge of the story, but it feels a little less hard hitting and gritty, though it is still a tragedy.

Have you read Electra? If so what did you think of it?

Want to read Electra but haven't? Hopefully this inspires you to take the time to do so.
Get a copy of Electra.