Electra

Chrysothemis is a foil to Electra. Not only is Chrysothemis attempting to peacefully exist in the aftermath of their mother’s murder of their father, but she does not even view revenge as plausible or rational. She prompts Electra to follow their new master and cease her needless suffering. She cautions her sister against rash actions, functioning as a voice of reason against her reactionary character. Yet, Chrysothemis’s allegiance to their mother functions more so as a survival mechanism rather than approval of her actions. She understands how unfortunate the siblings are, but still scolds Electra for being childish: “I suffer too— if I had the strength / I would show what I think of them. / But now is not the right time. / In rough waters, lower the sail, is my theory” (449-452). While it is important to act strategically, Chrysothemis’s lack of action is a character flaw. Electra’s many attempts at persuading Chrysothemis to avenge their father’s death is evidence of the latter’s caution and fear. She does not possess Electra’s strong moral compass, instead representing a different kind of ethical positioning concerning the siblings’ survival.

Foreshadowing occurs in this section in the form of a dream. Chrysothemis reveals that the royals’ mother dreamt of Agamemnon reclaiming the throne and taking Aegisthus’s place as king. The Chorus echoes this foreshadowing of Agamemnon’s bloodline reclaiming the crown: “Vengeance is coming— [...] She will come out of hiding / come scorching down / on love that is filth / and beds that are blood / where marriage should never have happened!” (663-669). Vengeance is personified to emphasize the reality of her coming, with the marriage in question being that between Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. The Chorus alludes to Orestes’s return by proclaiming that the “fragment of death steps into the daylight” (677). This fragment is the partial death of Orestes through the use of words. He will soon return in broad daylight as death itself.