# Electra by Sophocles — WHE Definition Discussion

**URL:** <https://community.worldhistory.org/t/electra-by-sophocles-whe-definition-discussion/2164>\
**Category:** WHE Articles\
**Created:** [June 12, 2019, 8:58am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/electra-by-sophocles-whe-definition-discussion/2164 "2019-06-12T08:58:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/system/32/30_2.png) [@system](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 8:58am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/electra-by-sophocles-whe-definition-discussion/2164/1 "2019-06-12T08:58:13Z")

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_Electra_ is a play written by the 5th-century BCE Greek tragedian Sophocles. Similar to Aeschylus' _Libation Bearers_, _Electra_ focuses on the return of Electra's brother Orestes from exile and the plot to murder their mother. Years earlier, their mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus killed their father Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan War. In this version of the story, Electra has been treated as a slave since the death of her father. She tries to procure the assistance of her sister Chrysothemis in her plot but fails. With the return of Orestes and his friend Pylades, Electra is able to successfully avenge her father's murder.

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_This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at [https://www.worldhistory.org/Electra\_(by\_Sophocles)/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Electra_(by_Sophocles)/)._

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**Author:** ![system](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/system/32/30_2.png) [@system](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/electra-by-sophocles-whe-definition-discussion/2164/2 "2026-07-28T20:29:48Z")

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