Paedogogus arrives at the palace in Mycenae with Orestes in tow. Paedogogus had taken Orestes, son of Agamemnon, from the palace as a boy and raised him himself to protect the boy from his mother Clytemnestra and her new husband (and new king) Aegisthus. Orestes has recently heard prophecies that it is time for him to avenge his father. He is to kill his father's murderes through stealth, so he hatches the plan: Paedogogus will enter and announce the recent and unfortunate death of Orestes in a chariot race. Meanwhile, Orestes will visit his father's grave, and leave an offering of a lock of his own hair, to prepare for his coming actions.
Inside, Orestes' sister Electra laments-- at length-- the evil murder of her father. Though she has lived with the sorrow for many years, she is at the end of her rope and can't simply stand by and live in the household with her wicked mother and her usurper husband any longer. The Chorus, other women in the palace, agree with her outrage over the murder, but urge her to get over it already. She cannot. Electra holds special contempt for Clytemnestra, who has ridiculed her all her life for her devotion to her father. Electra's only relief is the thought that Orestes might soon be returning to exact vengeance and justice. But even that, at times, seems to be a fading hope.
Chrysothemis, Electra's (younger?) sister, enters and scolds Electra for carrying on. Chrysothemis isn't thrilled with the way Agamemnon was murdered, either, but she has managed to make some peace with the situation and can live as a participant within the palace. Electra knocks her down a peg or two for doing so. Chrysothemis is more upset than ever, though, for the latest news is that the king will banish Electra to a cave. Electra, defiant, announces she will gladly accept such a "punishment" if it will highlight the type of unjust ruler Aegisthus is.
In the meantime, Chrysothemis is on her way to Agamemnon's grave to leave an offering-- an offering from Clytemnestra, in fact. Surprised, Electra asks how it is that Clytemnestra is paying any tribute to her previous husband at all. But it seems the queen has had visions and nightmares recently about Agamemnon, and is trying to put things right between her and the gods. Hearing this, Electra forbids that the offering be given, as it is coming from such an evil source. Instead, she instructs Chrysothemis to leave a lock of her own and of Electra's hair at the grave-- a proper tribute from devoted daughters, rather than from a treacherous wife. They're all in agreement that this is a good course of action.
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I think this is the first play that telling is telling the same story, at length, as a previous play I've read-- The Libation Bearers. It's kind of cool to get the story from a different persepective, and even cooler that the actions of the various characters seem to line up pretty closely. I remember, at least, the locks of hair left at Agamemnon's grave being the signal to Electra that Orestes had arrived, Clytemnestra's nightmares, and Orestes simply entering the palace to commit the avenging killings.
This play seems to be presenting a psychological portrait of Electra, a character who didn't quite have a full direct participation in the action in Aeschylus's play. The long lamenting passages paint a fairly clear picture of Electra's current mental state. She has been brooding for years, but has been helpless to exact revenge. All the while, she has been assigning blame to the family around her, despising some and resenting others-- again, all because it is not within her power to do much of else. Her internal torment shows a fighting spirit nonetheless.
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