Sophocles wrote this play around 410 B.C., however Electra is set in much older Greece. Most of Sophocles's audience have identified the world of Electra as that of mythological representatives. To be more specific, we are talking about time roughly 20 years after Trojan War has ended. Although Apollo does not make an appearence himself and nor do the gods, we cannot forget about their inderict involvement in characters's minds. There are also few symbols to make us think about gods interaction; Agamemnon's sacrifice to Orestes dedication to Apollo.

The setting is not particular. It takes place in Argos, in Ancient Greek city. Most of Sophocles's works come from Greek cities. And no matter how boringly the setting is described in the book we cannot see, if there is any connection of symbolism of the setting to the importance and essence of the play.