Michael Davis - The Philosophy of Tragedy (4): Libation Bearers

Synopsis: Orestes, the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon is in a real pickle. His mother has conspired with her new boy-toy/husband Aegisthus to murder Agamemnon, who is now dead and whose grave Orestes and his sister Elektra are on their way to visit. In the slack years since the murder both Orestes and Elektra have grown up and come of age.

The problem for Orestes/Elektra (and Hamlet, incidentally) is will they:

A) do nothing and take no vengeance for my father, which would upset Zeus and Apollo especially, orrrrr

B) do I kill my mom, which Zeus/Apollo would like, but which the Furies (avenging spirits especially of wronged women) will definitely not like.

No surprises here; he's gonna go with B.

By the way, if you've wondered where the "Elektra Complex" (the gender-inverse of the Oedipus complex) comes from, this is it, although Sophocles is much more explicit about Elektra's role than Aeschylus who relegates her to a more minor status.

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Original video:

https://youtu.be/zlun2zJIQHA?si=6XevB1nsKs9Bu078

Original writing:

williamengels.substack.com

Enjoy.