Who Is Sophocles 'Aeschylus' Libation Bearers

The actions of the play Libation Bearers by Aeschylus occurred in Argos after Clytemnestra killed her husband Agamemnon. Libation Bearers is like Sophocles’ Elektra regarding using the same myth and plot but differs with character development. Libation Bearers expands more on Orestes killing his mother rather than on Electra’s life after her father is killed like in Elektra. The play starts with Orestes calling out to the god Hermes asking him to protect him on his journey to carry out the deed to avenge his father. While at his father’s grave, Orestes sees his sister and her ladies in waiting, heading toward their father’s grave to give libations from their mother. Elektra is not as vocal about her dislike towards her mother and Aegisthus as she was in her self-titled play.

While in Sophocles’ Elektra, she would outwardly disobey and disagree with her mother. Not knowing what to do Electra asks her ladies in waiting if she should carry out her mother’s wishes and pour the libations on her father’s grave. One lady tells her to pour them and say that it is from those that wish her father well. While they go back and forth on that matter Electra sees a lock of hair on her father’s grave. It looks very much like her own and believes that Orestes sent it to mourn their father. Soon after, Orestes enters proclaims his identity. Strangely, Electra has a hard time believing this information even though she physically sees that his hair is similar to the one on their father’s grave, as well to her own. When Electra finally believes, Orestes is who he claims to be, she is ecstatic that there is someone who can relate to her despair over their father’s death. Orestes then announces that he is there to avenge their father and carry out Apollo’s