The Seal of Orestes: Self-Reference and Authority in Sophocles’ Electra

In this groundbreaking inquiry into the poetics of authenticity and authority in Sophocles’ Electra, Batchelder looks at Aegisthus and Orestes as rival dramatists, who each use the illusions of the theater in a struggle for control of Mycenae. She demonstrates that the Seal of Orestes-the signet ring of his father-is the recognition token not only for Electra, but also for the entire play, revealing Electra as a self-referential play about play writing.