Electra - An Emotional Rollercoaster

As with all plays, Electra really uses pathos to convey a message to the audience. From the beginning, we know (even if you didn't read the synopsis of the play beforehand) that Clytemnestra is the antagonist, as well as her husband, Aegisthus, and that Electra is the protagonist. I think that the delivery of these actors portrays their role in the play from the beginning. Electra's passion about her father's death seems so real. She is using gestures, wandering around the stage, and even yells at times to convey her passion and agony to the audience. Then, the big reveal is made that it is her very own mother who is responsible for the death of her father. The audience can't help but feel bad for her! 

I also think it is the case when Clytemnestra makes her first appearance. The way she talks, even seems cold, especially towards Electra, with whom we have already made an emotional connection. That automatically makes her seem like the bad guy, in our eyes.  There is one time, however, when I did succumb to an emotional appeal of Clytemnestra. That was when Clytemnestra was orating her soliloquy, and reveals her motive behind wanting her husband dead. He sacrificed his own daughter, Iphigenia. I thought Clytemnestra successfully swayed the audience, at least for a mere moment, to feel sorrow for her as well. However, that quickly changes when Electra comes back to reveal the circumstances in which it was necessary to sacrifice her in order for them to go on to win the battle of Troy. 

All in all, the entire play is filled with emotional appeals, from when Orestes is pronounced dead to Clytemnestra and Electra, to when Orestes reveals himself as alive and well, and willing to help avenge his father's death. I also thought the actors successfully used pathos to sway the audience when Aegisthus finds his wife's corpse, it made me feel bad for him, but also feel happy for Electra and Orestes for getting the revenge they so desperately wanted.

I think pathos is the most important appeal in theater. It helps the audience understand who is important, as well as who is bad and good. It also helps the audience to make a connection with the characters, that keeps them interested in the play in its entirety.