Orestes
The son of Agamemnon, returning from exile to carry out Apollo's command. He is determined but not cold. He hesitates before killing his mother, and that hesitation is what makes him a character rather than just an instrument of revenge.
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Characters
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Contents
Characters
Who matters and what they help you prove.
Electra
Orestes's sister, living in the palace as something close to a servant. She has been waiting for an avenger. She helps Orestes commit to the plan at the tomb, then disappears from the action once the plot moves inside the palace.
Clytemnestra
The queen who killed Agamemnon and now rules with Aegisthus. She is not a simple villain. Her nightmare shows she carries guilt, and her appeal to Orestes at the moment of her death is genuinely affecting, even if it does not save her.
Aegisthus
Clytemnestra's lover and co-ruler. He is killed first, off stage, and gets less dramatic weight than Clytemnestra. His death is the easier half of the revenge.
Pylades
Orestes's companion from Phocis. He says almost nothing for the entire play, then delivers the one speech that keeps Orestes on course. His silence makes that speech hit harder.
The Chorus of Slave Women
These are Trojan women brought back as war prizes, now serving in the palace. They side with Orestes and actively help him by redirecting Cilissa. They are not passive observers; they are participants who want the regime to fall.
Cilissa
The nurse who raised Orestes as a child. She is sent to fetch Aegisthus and genuinely grieves what she believes is Orestes's death. The chorus redirects her message so Aegisthus comes without guards. She is a small role with real emotional weight.
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