# Orestes — Electra character guide

> Orestes in Electra by Sophocles.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Aged Servant Orestes

**First appearance:** 0002-electra

## Snapshot

The exiled son of Agamemnon, returned in secret under Apollo's command to avenge his father — and testing how much of himself he must hide to do it.

## Who they are

Orestes arrives at Mycenae with his old tutor and Pylades, a stranger in his own city, standing before the palace that was stained by his father's blood. He must move between disguise and recognition, letting a false report of his death do its work while he watches his sister suffer in ignorance. His return turns Electra's long waiting into action, and his presence forces the house toward the reckoning it has been holding its breath for.

## Relationships

### [Electra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/electra)

_family_

Siblings bound by a shared mission of vengeance against their mother and stepfather for their father's murder.

### [Aegisthus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/aegisthus)

_rivalry_

Mortal enemies as Aegisthus is the usurper and murderer of Orestes' father, targeted for revenge.

### [Chrysothemis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/chrysothemis)

_family_

Siblings with a distant bond, as Chrysothemis is cautious while Orestes is driven by revenge.

### [Agamemnon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/agamemnon)

_family_

Father and son, with Agamemnon's murder serving as the catalyst for Orestes' quest for justice.

### [Pylades](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/pylades)

_friendship_

Loyal companion and cousin who supports Orestes in his revenge plot without hesitation.

### [Apollo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/apollo)

_psychological_

Divine patron who commands and guides Orestes to commit matricide as a sacred duty.

### [Zeus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/zeus)

_psychological_

Orestes appeals to Zeus for justice and divine support in his mission of vengeance.

### [Artemis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/artemis)

_psychological_

Goddess whose wrath over Agamemnon's past sacrifice influences the family's curse and Orestes' fate.

### [Clytemnestra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/clytemnestra)

_family_

Mother and son, with Orestes ultimately killing Clytemnestra to avenge his father.

### [Electra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/electra)

_family_

Siblings bound by a shared mission of vengeance against their mother and stepfather for their father's murder.

### [Electra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/electra)

_family_

Siblings bound by a shared mission of vengeance against their mother and stepfather for their father's murder.

### [Artemis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/artemis)

_psychological_

Goddess whose wrath over Agamemnon's past sacrifice influences the family's curse and Orestes' fate.

## In the story

### [Dramatis Personae](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/chapters/dramatis-personae)

Listed as son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/chapters/endnotes)

Mentioned in the context of Amphiaraus' son who avenged his father, paralleling Orestes' own mission.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters/orestes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/electra_se/characters