Electra

This article is about the well-known mythological character from the Trojan Cycle. For other Greek mythological characters, see Electra (mythology). For other uses, see Electra (disambiguation).

Electra meeting Orestes, c. 340–330 BC

In Greek mythology Electra, also spelt Elektra (/ɪˈlɛktrə/; Ancient Greek: Ἠλέκτρα, romanized: Ēléktra or Ilektra, lit. 'amber', 'shining' or 'radiant', [ɛːléktraː]), is a princess of Mycenae and the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Famously, Electra and her brother, Orestes, attack and kill Clytemnestra to avenge their father's murder.

She is the titular main character of two Greek tragedies: Electra by Sophocles and Electra by Euripides. She is also the central figure in plays by Aeschylus, Alfieri, Voltaire, Hofmannsthal, Eugene O'Neill, and Jean-Paul Sartre. She is a vengeful soul in The Libation Bearers, the second play of Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy.

In the field of psychology the Electra complex is named after her.