Agamemnon

Not to be confused with Aeschylus’ tragedy Agamemnon.

Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae in Greek mythology and the supreme commander of the Greek army during the Trojan War. He was the son of Atreus and Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, and the husband of Clytemnestra. He led the Greeks to Troy to recover Helen, but his own choices brought suffering to his family and army. After the war he returned home in victory, only to be murdered on his return by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus (Homer, Odyssey 3.193–198; Aeschylus, Agamemnon).

Who Was Agamemnon?

Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae and the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces at Troy, the most powerful ruler in heroic Greece. He is remembered for two things above all: the quarrel with Achilles that opens Homer’s Iliad, and his murder on his return from the war.

• Parents: Atreus, king of Mycenae, and Aerope; brother of Menelaus, king of Sparta
• Wife: Clytemnestra; children: Iphigenia, Orestes, Electra, and Chrysothemis
• Role in the Trojan War: overall commander of the Achaean army for ten years
• Death: killed at Mycenae by Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus on his return

Family and Background

Agamemnon belonged to the House of Atreus, one of the most cursed families in Greek mythology. His father was Atreus, king of Mycenae, and his mother was Aerope, daughter of Catreus (Apollodorus, Epitome 2.10). Homer traces the royal sceptre of Mycenae from Pelops to Atreus, from Atreus to Thyestes, and from Thyestes to Agamemnon (Iliad 2.100–108). His brother was Menelaus, who became king of Sparta and husband of Helen. Through this family line, Agamemnon was connected with Pelops, Thyestes, Aegisthus, and many of the darkest stories in Greek myth.

Was Agamemnon the Brother of Menelaus?

Yes – Agamemnon and Menelaus were brothers, the sons of Atreus and Aerope; Homer calls them both Atreidai, sons of Atreus. They were also brothers-in-law twice over, because they married Helen and Clytemnestra, whom Apollodorus calls daughters of Leda (Library 3.10.6–7).

• Menelaus ruled Sparta while Agamemnon ruled Mycenae (Epitome 2.16)
• The abduction of Menelaus’ wife Helen is what brought Agamemnon into the Trojan War
• In another version, the brothers were the sons of Plisthenes, the husband of Aerope (Library 3.2.2); Homer treats them as Atreus’ own sons
• Their fates after Troy could not be more different: Menelaus reaches home after long wanderings with Helen, while Agamemnon is murdered on arrival (Odyssey 3.276–312, 4.78–112)

King of Mycenae

Agamemnon is usually called king of Mycenae, though Homer also speaks of him as ruling over many islands and all Argos (Iliad 2.108). Mycenae was one of the greatest centers of power in heroic Greece, and Agamemnon ruled over a rich and important kingdom. In Homer’s Iliad, he appears as the strongest ruler among the Greek kings, not always the bravest or wisest man, but the one with the greatest authority.

• Mycenae lay in the Argolid in the northeast Peloponnese, and Homer calls it “rich in gold” (Odyssey 3.304–305)
• In the Catalogue of Ships he brings 100 ships, and his force is the finest and most numerous (Iliad 2.576–580)
• He did not rule a united Greece: according to Apollodorus, when Menelaus asked for his help, Agamemnon sent heralds to each of the kings reminding them of the oath they had sworn to Tyndareus (Library 3.10.9; Epitome 3.6)
• Pausanias saw the ruins of Mycenae, and the tombs of Atreus, of Agamemnon and of those killed with him (Pausanias 2.16.6–7)

Agamemnon’s Name

Homer usually calls him Atreides, son of Atreus, and “king of men” (Iliad 1.7) and “wide-ruling”. The ancient authors give no meaning for the name Agamemnon, and the old translation “very steadfast” is a modern guess. In the poems he does show himself firm and stubborn: his inability to bend at the right time causes trouble both at Troy and at home.

Agamemnon’s Family

Clytemnestra

Agamemnon married Clytemnestra, daughter of Tyndareus. She was the sister of Helen, which made Agamemnon and Menelaus brothers-in-law as well as brothers. According to Apollodorus, Agamemnon first killed her earlier husband, Tantalus, son of Thyestes, and his infant child (Epitome 2.15–16; compare Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis 1148–1156). Their marriage became one of the most tragic unions in Greek mythology, ending in murder and revenge.

Was Agamemnon Married to Helen?

No – Agamemnon was married to Clytemnestra, not Helen. Helen was Clytemnestra’s sister and the wife of Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother, which is why the two women are so often confused.

• Helen did not kill Agamemnon: his killers were his own wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus
• Apollodorus makes Helen a daughter of Zeus and Leda and Clytemnestra a daughter of Tyndareus and Leda (Library 3.10.6–7)
• Agamemnon’s connection to Helen is entirely indirect: he went to war to recover his brother’s wife, not his own
• The woman he brought home from Troy was Cassandra, the Trojan princess, who died alongside him (Odyssey 11.421–423; Apollodorus, Epitome 6.23)

Children of Agamemnon

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra had several children. Apollodorus names a son Orestes and daughters Chrysothemis, Electra and Iphigenia (Epitome 2.16). Homer, in the Iliad, knows a son Orestes and three daughters, Chrysothemis, Laodice and Iphianassa; Electra and the sacrifice of Iphigenia are not mentioned in Homer, though ancient writers identified Iphianassa with Iphigenia and later authors sometimes call Electra by the name Laodice (Iliad 9.142–148). Each of these children became tied to the family curse, especially Iphigenia, whose sacrifice helped start the expedition to Troy, and Orestes, who later avenged Agamemnon’s death.

The House of Atreus

The House of Atreus was already cursed before Agamemnon was born. Atreus and Thyestes, his father and uncle, had fought bitterly for power over Mycenae, the quarrel being made worse when Thyestes seduced Atreus’ wife Aerope and used a golden lamb to claim the throne. After Zeus made the sun set in the east to show whose kingship was just, Atreus drove Thyestes out. Later, pretending friendship, he killed the sons of Thyestes and served them to him at a feast (Apollodorus, Epitome 2.10–13; compare Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1583–1602). Thyestes then begot Aegisthus by his own daughter, in answer to an oracle, in order to take revenge (Epitome 2.14). That curse later shaped the lives of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Aegisthus, Orestes, and Electra.

Agamemnon’s Early Years

Exile from Mycenae

When Agamemnon and Menelaus were young, their family was thrown into danger by the feud between Atreus and Thyestes. Aegisthus, the son of Thyestes, killed Atreus and restored the kingdom to Thyestes (Apollodorus, Epitome 2.14). Agamemnon and Menelaus were carried away by their nurse to Polyphides, lord of Sicyon, who sent them on to Oeneus in Aetolia (Epitome 2.15).

Refuge in Sparta

Tyndareus of Sparta brought the two brothers back, and they drove Thyestes out. Agamemnon married Clytemnestra, daughter of Tyndareus, while Menelaus married Helen and later reigned over Sparta (Epitome 2.15–16). These marriages restored the brothers’ fortunes and linked them to one of the most important royal houses in Greece.

Return to Power

With help from Tyndareus, Agamemnon returned to Mycenae and took back the throne (Epitome 2.16). Aegisthus and Thyestes were driven away. Agamemnon’s power grew, and by the time of the Trojan War he was strong enough to command the largest force among the Greek kings.

Agamemnon and the Trojan War

The Oath of Tyndareus

Before Helen married Menelaus, many Greek princes had wanted to marry her. To prevent violence between them, Tyndareus, on Odysseus’ advice, made the suitors swear an oath that they would defend the chosen husband against any wrong done to him in respect of his marriage (Apollodorus, Library 3.10.9). When Paris of Troy took Helen from Sparta, Menelaus called on the old oath. Agamemnon then helped gather the Greek kings for war.

Leader of the Greeks

Agamemnon became the chief leader of the Greek expedition against Troy. He did not go only as Menelaus’ brother; he went as the most powerful king among the Achaeans. The war gave him honor and command, but it also exposed his pride, anger, and weakness as a ruler.

The Gathering at Aulis

The Greek army gathered at Aulis, ready to sail for Troy. However, the fleet was windbound. According to Apollodorus, the seer Calchas said that the Greeks could not sail unless the fairest of Agamemnon’s daughters was sacrificed to Artemis, who was angry with Agamemnon (Epitome 3.21). This became one of the most painful choices in Greek myth.

Iphigenia at Aulis

The Anger of Artemis

Different versions explain Artemis’ anger in different ways. In Apollodorus, Agamemnon shot a deer and said that Artemis herself could not have done it better, and Atreus had not sacrificed the golden lamb to her (Epitome 3.21). In Aeschylus, the goddess is angry at an omen of two eagles tearing a pregnant hare, and demands the sacrifice to stop the winds (Agamemnon 104–159, 184–247). What matters in the myth is that the whole Greek army is trapped, and Agamemnon is forced to choose between his daughter and the war.

The False Wedding to Achilles

To bring Iphigenia to Aulis, Agamemnon sent word to Clytemnestra that their daughter was to marry Achilles. In Apollodorus the messengers were Odysseus and Talthybius (Epitome 3.22). This was a lie. Iphigenia came expecting marriage, not death. In Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis, Agamemnon is shown as torn between fatherly love, fear of the army, and ambition for command.

The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

In some versions, Iphigenia was sacrificed so that the Greek fleet could sail. In Aeschylus, Agamemnon puts on “the yoke of necessity” and the chorus describes the sacrifice (Agamemnon 184–247). In others, Artemis saved her at the last moment, replacing her with a deer and taking her away to the Taurians to be her priestess (Apollodorus, Epitome 3.22; Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis 1578–1600). In Aeschylus, Clytemnestra names the sacrifice of Iphigenia among her reasons for killing Agamemnon (Agamemnon 1412–1418).

Agamemnon in the Iliad

The Quarrel with Achilles

In Homer’s Iliad, Agamemnon’s most famous action is his quarrel with Achilles. The trouble begins when Agamemnon refuses to return Chryseis, daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. Apollo sends a plague against the Greek army. When Agamemnon is forced to give Chryseis back, he takes Briseis from Achilles as compensation (Iliad 1.8–187, 1.318–348).

Achilles Withdraws

Agamemnon’s seizure of Briseis dishonors Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior. In anger, Achilles withdraws from the fighting, and Thetis asks Zeus to give the Trojans the advantage until the Greeks honor her son (Iliad 1.348–427, 1.495–530). Without Achilles, the Greeks suffer badly, and the Trojans gain strength.

Agamemnon’s Leadership

Agamemnon is not shown as a simple villain in the Iliad. He is powerful, brave in battle, and respected as high king; in Book 11 he fights until a spear wound forces him out (Iliad 11.91–283). But he is also proud, harsh, and easily angered. Achilles calls him the most grasping of men (Iliad 1.122). His quarrel with Achilles shows the danger of a leader who values his own honor more than the safety of his army.

The Embassy to Achilles

Later, when the Greek position becomes desperate, Agamemnon admits that Zeus blinded him and offers gifts: seven cities, one of his three daughters in marriage without a bride-price, and the return of Briseis (Iliad 9.115–161). Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix go to Achilles as envoys. Achilles refuses to return at once (Iliad 9.307–429). Agamemnon repeats his admission of blindness in the assembly after Patroclus’ death, and returns Briseis with the gifts (Iliad 19.78–144, 19.238–281).

Agamemnon and the Fall of Troy

Ten Years of War

The Trojan War lasted ten years. Agamemnon remained the overall commander of the Greek forces throughout the long siege. Many heroes fought under him, including Achilles, Odysseus, Ajax, Diomedes, Nestor, Menelaus, and others (Iliad 2.484–877).

The Wooden Horse

Agamemnon was part of the Greek victory at Troy, though the plan of the Wooden Horse is connected with Odysseus and Epeius (Odyssey 8.492–495; Apollodorus, Epitome 5.14). After the Trojans brought the horse into the city, the hidden Greek warriors came out at night, opened the gates, and allowed the army to enter (Epitome 5.19–20). Troy was destroyed, and at the division of the spoils Agamemnon got Cassandra, daughter of Priam, as his special award (Epitome 5.23).

Cassandra

Cassandra was a Trojan princess and prophetess. Apollo promised her the art of prophecy, but when she refused him he made it so that no one would be persuaded by her (Apollodorus, Library 3.12.5; Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1202–1213). When Agamemnon brought her back to Mycenae, she foresaw their deaths in front of the palace, but could not prevent them (Agamemnon 1072–1330).

The Return of Agamemnon

What Happened to Agamemnon After the Trojan War?

Agamemnon sailed home from Troy as the victorious commander of the Greek army and was murdered almost immediately after he arrived. His wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus had spent the years of his absence preparing for that moment.

• He returned to Mycenae with Cassandra, the captive Trojan princess, who was killed alongside him (Odyssey 11.421–423; Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1438–1447)
• He was received with a show of welcome – in Aeschylus, a purple carpet laid out for him to walk on (Agamemnon 905–957) – and killed soon afterwards
• Aegisthus then ruled Mycenae for seven years, until Agamemnon’s son Orestes returned from Athens to avenge him in the eighth (Odyssey 3.303–310)
• In the Underworld, the ghost of Agamemnon tells Odysseus that he should come home in secret and not trust any woman (Odyssey 11.441–456)

Clytemnestra and Aegisthus

While Agamemnon was away at Troy, Clytemnestra became the lover of Aegisthus. In the Odyssey, Nestor says that Clytemnestra at first refused him, being of good mind, until a singer left in her care was taken away and Aegisthus took her to his house (Odyssey 3.263–275). Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes and had an old reason to hate the house of Atreus (Apollodorus, Epitome 2.14).

The Murder of Agamemnon

When Agamemnon returned home, he expected honor and welcome. Instead, Clytemnestra prepared his death. In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, she kills him in the bath after casting over him a net-like robe, striking him three times; Cassandra is killed as well (Agamemnon 1107–1129, 1372–1392). The victorious leader of the Greeks dies not in battle, but inside his own house.

Who Killed Agamemnon and How Did He Die?

Agamemnon was killed by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, but the accounts differ over which of them struck the blow. The difference is one of the clearest examples in Greek myth of a story changing over time.

• In Homer’s Odyssey, Aegisthus invites Agamemnon to a banquet and cuts him down there with twenty armed men, “like an ox at the manger”; Clytemnestra kills Cassandra (Odyssey 4.512–537, 11.405–426)
• In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Clytemnestra acts alone: she traps him in a robe in his bath and strikes him down (Agamemnon 1372–1392)
• In Homer the ghost of Agamemnon blames both Aegisthus and his wife; in the tragedies the murder is the revenge of a wife for Iphigenia (Odyssey 11.409–411; Agamemnon 1412–1418)
• Both versions agree on the outcome: Agamemnon and Cassandra die together, and Aegisthus takes the throne

Reasons for the Murder

In Aeschylus, Clytemnestra gives several reasons for killing Agamemnon. The most important is the sacrifice of Iphigenia (Agamemnon 1412–1418). She also resents his return with Cassandra, whom she calls his bed-fellow (Agamemnon 1438–1447). Aegisthus, meanwhile, sees the murder as revenge for Atreus’ crime against Thyestes (Agamemnon 1583–1602). Agamemnon’s death is therefore both personal and inherited.

Orestes and the Revenge

The Son in Exile

After Agamemnon’s death, his son Orestes was kept safe in exile. Pindar says that his nurse carried him to Strophius, who lived at the foot of Parnassus (Pythian 11.17–37); in Homer Orestes comes back “from Athens” (Odyssey 3.307). Electra remained in the house and waited for revenge. The murder of Agamemnon could not remain unanswered in Greek tragedy.

Orestes Kills Clytemnestra and Aegisthus

When Orestes grew older, he returned and killed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. In the Odyssey Orestes kills Aegisthus and holds the funeral feast for his mother and Aegisthus (Odyssey 3.306–310). By killing his mother, he avenged his father but committed a terrible crime of his own. The Erinyes, ancient goddesses of vengeance, pursued him for matricide (Apollodorus, Epitome 6.25; Aeschylus, Eumenides).

Who Was King After Agamemnon?

Aegisthus took the throne of Mycenae after the murder and ruled for seven years. In the eighth year Orestes returned, killed him, and reclaimed his father’s kingdom (Odyssey 3.303–310).

• Homer gives the seven-year reign of Aegisthus explicitly in the Odyssey, where it is held up as a warning about usurpers
• Pausanias says that Orestes later became king of the Lacedaemonians as well (Pausanias 2.18.6)
• His son Tisamenus was the last of the line, driven out when the Heracleidae returned to the Peloponnese (Pausanias 2.18.6–7; 7.1.7)

The Curse Continues

The story of Orestes shows that Agamemnon’s death did not end the curse. Each act of revenge created another demand for revenge. In Aeschylus’ Eumenides, Orestes is tried at Athens and acquitted when the votes of the Areopagus are equal (Eumenides 734–753).

Agamemnon’s Role and Symbolism

Was Agamemnon Evil?

Agamemnon is not written as a villain, but as a flawed man with more power than judgment. Ancient authors treat him as a legitimate king who commits terrible acts, and Greek tragedy is interested in exactly that combination.

• Against him: he sacrifices his own daughter, lures her there with a lie, dishonours Achilles out of wounded pride, and takes Cassandra home as a prize
• In his favour: he fights bravely, holds a fractious alliance together for ten years, and eventually admits his error and offers Achilles restitution (Iliad 9.115–120, 19.86–138)
• Homer shows him as capable of shame and self-correction; Aeschylus shows a king who “put on the yoke of necessity” at Aulis (Agamemnon 218)

The Flawed King

Agamemnon is a great king, but not a perfect one. He has power, rank, and command, yet in the poems he often fails in judgment, and he himself says that Zeus took his wits (Iliad 9.115–120).

The Cost of War

Through Agamemnon, Greek mythology shows the cost of war before, during, and after battle. He sacrifices his daughter to begin the expedition, quarrels with Achilles during the war, and returns home to a murderous wife. His victory does not save him.

Public Honor and Private Ruin

Agamemnon wins public glory as the leader who helped conquer Troy. Privately, however, he loses almost everything. His wife kills him, and his children inherit a house stained by blood.

Agamemnon in Ancient Literature

Homer’s Iliad

In the Iliad, Agamemnon appears as the leader of the Achaeans during the Trojan War. His quarrel with Achilles begins the main action of the poem. Homer shows him as powerful and proud, capable of courage but also capable of serious mistakes.

Who Was Agamemnon in the Odyssey?

In the Odyssey, Agamemnon is already dead: he appears as a ghost in the Underworld, telling Odysseus the story of his own murder and warning him never to trust a wife completely (Odyssey 11.385–466).

• Odysseus meets his shade in Book 11, alongside Achilles and Ajax
• Nestor tells the story of his death to Telemachus in Book 3, and Menelaus hears it from Proteus in Book 4
• Orestes is repeatedly held up to Telemachus as a model son who avenged his father (Odyssey 1.29–43, 1.298–300)

Homer’s Odyssey

In the Odyssey, Agamemnon appears as a warning example. His murder is often compared with Odysseus’ return to Ithaca. Agamemnon comes home and is killed by his wife and her lover, while Odysseus returns carefully and defeats the suitors. The contrast makes Agamemnon’s story a dark mirror of Odysseus’ homecoming; in the second Underworld scene Agamemnon’s ghost himself praises Penelope (Odyssey 24.191–202).

Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis

Euripides gives one of the most emotional versions of Agamemnon’s choice at Aulis. His play presents Agamemnon as a man trapped between his love for Iphigenia, his fear of the army, his duty to Menelaus, and his desire for glory.

Aeschylus’ Agamemnon

Aeschylus’ Agamemnon tells the story of the king’s return from Troy and his murder by Clytemnestra. The play connects his death with Iphigenia, Cassandra, the Trojan War, and the older curse of the House of Atreus.

Misconceptions and Lesser-Known Facts

Agamemnon Was Not the Best Greek Warrior

Agamemnon was the chief commander of the Greek army, but he was not the greatest warrior. Homer says Achilles was by far the best of the Achaeans (Iliad 2.768–769). Agamemnon’s power came from kingship, wealth, and command over many men.

He Did Not Start the Trojan War Alone

Agamemnon helped lead the war because Helen, the wife of his brother Menelaus, had been taken to Troy. The old oath of Tyndareus also helped pull many Greek kings into the expedition (Apollodorus, Library 3.10.9). Agamemnon became the leader, but the war involved many rulers and many causes.

Iphigenia’s Fate Varies

Not all versions say that Iphigenia died at Aulis. Some say Artemis saved her and made her a priestess among the Taurians (Apollodorus, Epitome 3.22). This difference matters because Greek myth often preserves more than one version of a story, especially for major tragic figures.

Clytemnestra’s Motives Were Not Simple

Clytemnestra is sometimes described only as an unfaithful wife, but ancient tragedy gives her stronger motives. In Aeschylus she kills Agamemnon for Iphigenia and for Cassandra (Agamemnon 1412–1447). Aegisthus also adds the older revenge of Thyestes against Atreus.

The “Mask of Agamemnon” Is Not His

The famous gold death mask found at Mycenae and named after Agamemnon has nothing to do with him. Heinrich Schliemann uncovered it in 1876 and linked it to the myth, but the mask is roughly three centuries older than any plausible date for the Trojan War, and no ancient author connects it with the king.

Agamemnon’s Death Is Part of the Trojan War’s Aftermath

The Trojan War does not really end when Troy falls. Agamemnon’s murder shows that the war follows the Greek heroes home. Victory abroad leads to disaster inside the house.

Unraveling Agamemnon: The King Who Won Troy and Lost His Home

Agamemnon is one of Greek mythology’s great examples of tragic power. He commands the largest force among the Greek kings, leads the expedition against Troy, and returns home as a victorious king. Yet his story in the poems is bound up with broken family bonds, wounded pride, and bloodshed.

In Homer he is the king who wrongs Achilles and later admits it; in Aeschylus he is the king who sacrifices his daughter and is killed by her mother. Both poets tie the success of Troy to the cost of the house at Mycenae.

Agamemnon Sources

Agamemnon appears throughout Homer’s Iliad, especially in Books 1, 9, 11 and 19, and in the Odyssey (1.29–43, 3.193–312, 4.512–537, 11.385–466, 24.191–202). Aeschylus’ Agamemnon (104–257, 905–957, 1072–1447, 1583–1602) tells of his murder, and the Eumenides (734–753) of the trial of Orestes. The story of Iphigenia is told in Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis (87 ff., 1148–1156, 1578–1600). Also used are Pindar (Pythian 11.17–37), Apollodorus’ Library (3.2.2, 3.10.6–9, 3.12.5) and Epitome (2.10–16, 3.21–22, 5.14–23, 6.25) and Pausanias (2.16.6–7, 2.18.6–7, 7.1.7).

See Also: Atreus, Aerope, Menelaus, Helen, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Orestes, Electra, Aegisthus, Cassandra, Trojan War