• Overview
• Staging information
• Translations
• Sample translations
• Production history

Scene

The play is divided into a prologue, four acts, and an epilogue. The four acts are entitled Pylades, Electra, Orestes and Sanctuary.

Staging

The action moves from place to place, often very swiftly. Much of the play is set in a deserted and dilapidated train station. Other scenes are set in a dancehall, or on the bare stage. The men hide in an isolated house, and at the end of the play the action moves to a lighthouse by the sea.

The chronological structure of the play is fluid, as different time periods cross one another, to the extent that the drama sometimes feels dreamlike.

Pylades and Orestes have come to stay in an isolated area near a town ravaged by war. Gunfire, air raids and explosions are heard often. Pylades carries a gun. At one point he goes to shoot Electra. She disappears, leaving her clothes behind, as if she has spontaneously combusted.

In act 1 (entitled Pylades) a screen shows images of two little boys playing on the beach.

At the end of the play, Electra finds two bloodied outfits under the floor of the lighthouse. She also finds a human heart.

Throughout the play, the main narrative thread is interrupted by witness testimony from women who were incarcerated and tortured. (less)

The action moves from place to place, often very swiftly. Much of the play is set in a deserted and dilapidated train station. Other scenes are set in a dancehall, or on the bare stage.... (Read more...)

Cast number

Minimum	Maximum
2 males	2 males
1 female	2 females
3 (total)	4 (total)

Characters

• ORESTES
• PYLADES
• ELECTRA
• VOICES

Entry written by Gwynneth Dowling. Last updated on 6 June 2011.

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Please log in or sign up for a free account.