The Libation Bearers, 2

Orestes comes out of hiding and greets his sister, who disbelieves it his him at first.  But they embrace joyfully, Electra now glad she has someone with whom she can share her sorrows.  Their talk moves immediately to avenging their father's death.  On Orestes' part, it is for many reasons: divine justice, the duty of a son, to recapture the royal estate, that the fighters at Ilion might witness the glory they fought for, to cut down the coward Aegisthus.  But most prominently in his mind, it is to avoid the terrible underworld fate that awaits him if he doesn't avenge his father, if he avoids this task.

Orestes and Electra lament together, in alternating stanzas, while the Chorus speaks for Agamemnon from his place in the underworld.  They offer that it would be better if he'd died during the war-- at least his authority would pass to his children lawfully.  They look for divine guidance and aid in their response.  Agamemnon (or the Chorus) fill in information they do not know-- that his body was mutilated further by Clytemnestra before burial.  Orestes and Electra ask for a final blessing.

Suitably riled up, and confident in the righteousness of their course, they are avowed to act.  But suddenly confused, Orestes asks how it is the women have been sent by Clytemnestra to annoint the grave.  It seems she has been having nightmares...

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A really effective structure here, with Orestes and Electra reinforcing each other, their stanzas bouncing back and forth until they both think they've been convinced by the other.  I think the role of the Chorus is very ambiguous here.  It's entirely possible that they were actually speaking for themselves, and getting the children to do the evil deed they have no power to perform themselves (or are more than happy to shift the responsibility for onto others).

In the end, in some ways it is necessary that Orestes and Electra are deluding themselves.  Electra especially, not clearly seeing the evil deeds of her own father and how he may have deserved his fate.  And Orestes, searching widely for a pure justification for what he intends to do, but ultimately only getting part-way there.

The conversation also reflects what must have been the discussion between Clytemnestra and Aegisthus before the action of the previous play.  There, too, each had their own reasons for plotting the murder, and together they convinced each other of their righteousness-- only to perform a shocking act of evil that led to terrible consequences for themselves.  Bad move, kids.