My mother—if she still must bear the name—
When resting in those arms—— Her shame is dead:
She harbours with bloodguiltiness and fears
No vengeance.
The atmosphere of ‘private execution’ which characterised the Homeric age and the earliest stratum of the pollution era is faithfully retained. Orestes is the sole avenger: without him there is little hope of vengeance. Electra may strike, in the last resort, but not before she has despaired of the return of Orestes. The deed of blood is calmly executed by Orestes, whose conscience is salved by the command of Apollo. The Chorus do not condemn the act. They have looked forward to it.[16] Thus they say[17]:
Behold they come, they come!
His red hand dripping as he moves
With drops of sacrifice the war-god loves.
My ’wildered heart is dumb.
The desire of Electra that Aegisthus should not be buried is clearly derived from the historical custom, for which Plato is our sole authority,[18] of refusing burial to wilful murderers and especially to kin-slayers[19] such as Aegisthus was. The Homeric account[20] is here of necessity abandoned. Electra says[21]: