Elettra alla tomba del padre L’aiuto del morto nelle Coefore
Abstract
This contribution examines Electra’s role at her father’s tomb in Aeschylus’ Choephoroi . Through close analysis of prayers and invocations in ll. 124a-151 and subsequent interventions in the kommos , it investigates a dramaturgical line parallel to Orestes’, establishing its ritual and symbolic preconditions. Electra’s prayers, libations, and distancing from maternal behaviour define an autonomous performative space within her brother’s actions. Rather than acting as an autonomous agent of vengeance, she opens the communicative channel to the deceased father, enabling “the dead to kill the living” (l. 886).
Fields of Study & Subjects
Classical Antiquity Studies
Classical Philosophy and Thought
Classical Studies and Philology
Publication details
- Publication date
- 26 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter