Clytemnestra

Clytemnestra was the queen of Mycenae in Greek mythology, the wife of Agamemnon, and one of the main figures in the tragic history of the House of Atreus. She was the daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, the sister of Helen of Troy, and the mother of Iphigenia, Electra, Orestes, and Chrysothemis. While Agamemnon led the Greek army in the Trojan War, Clytemnestra became the lover of Aegisthus. When Agamemnon returned from Troy with the Trojan princess Cassandra, Clytemnestra killed them. Her actions were driven by several motives, especially revenge for Agamemnon’s sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia at Aulis.

Who Was Clytemnestra?

Family and Background

Clytemnestra was the daughter of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Leda. Her siblings included Helen, Castor, and Polydeuces, also known as Pollux. In the most common account, Clytemnestra and Castor were the mortal children of Tyndareus, while Helen and Polydeuces were children of Zeus.

Through her family, Clytemnestra was connected with both Sparta and the Trojan War. Helen’s departure with Paris caused the Greek expedition against Troy, while Clytemnestra’s marriage to Agamemnon placed her inside the cursed royal family of Mycenae.

Sister of Helen of Troy

Clytemnestra and Helen became wives of two brothers. Helen married Menelaus, who became king of Sparta, while Clytemnestra married Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. When Paris took Helen to Troy, Menelaus and Agamemnon became the main leaders of the Greek response.

The sisters had very different roles in the Trojan War tradition. Helen became the woman at the center of the war, while Clytemnestra remained in Greece and became central to its violent aftermath.

Queen of Mycenae

Through her marriage to Agamemnon, Clytemnestra became queen of Mycenae, though some ancient sources connect their rule with Argos. Agamemnon was one of the most powerful Greek kings and later became commander of the army that sailed against Troy.

During his long absence, Clytemnestra remained at the royal palace. Her position was not simply that of a waiting wife. By the time Agamemnon returned, she and Aegisthus had taken control of the household and prepared his death.

Clytemnestra and Agamemnon

Clytemnestra’s First Husband

Some later traditions say that Clytemnestra was first married to Tantalus, a son of Thyestes. Agamemnon killed Tantalus and their young child before taking Clytemnestra as his own wife. This version makes their marriage violent from its beginning and gives Clytemnestra another possible reason to hate Agamemnon.

Not every source includes this first marriage, and it is less central than the stories of Iphigenia and Agamemnon’s return. However, it adds to the pattern of forced marriage and family violence surrounding the House of Atreus.

Marriage to Agamemnon

Clytemnestra married Agamemnon and became the mother of several children. Their best-known children were Iphigenia, Electra, Orestes, and Chrysothemis. Some traditions use different names or give the couple additional children, but these four are the main figures in Greek tragedy.

The marriage joined the royal house of Sparta with the House of Atreus. It also brought Clytemnestra into a family already marked by murder, betrayal, and revenge through Atreus, Thyestes, and Aegisthus.

The House of Atreus

Agamemnon’s father Atreus had fought with his brother Thyestes for the throne. During their feud, Atreus killed the sons of Thyestes and served their bodies to him at a banquet. Thyestes cursed Atreus and his descendants.

Aegisthus, a surviving son of Thyestes, later killed Atreus. Agamemnon and Menelaus eventually recovered their position, but the old conflict remained. When Clytemnestra joined with Aegisthus, her personal anger against Agamemnon became tied to the older revenge of Thyestes against the family of Atreus.

Clytemnestra and the Trojan War

Helen and Paris

The events leading to the Trojan War began when Paris, prince of Troy, took Helen from Sparta. Whether Helen was abducted, persuaded, or influenced by Aphrodite varies between sources. Her husband Menelaus called upon the Greek rulers who had sworn the Oath of Tyndareus to defend his marriage.

Agamemnon helped gather the Greek kings and became commander of their combined army. Clytemnestra remained in Greece while her husband prepared to lead the expedition.

The Greek Fleet at Aulis

The Greek ships gathered at Aulis before sailing to Troy. However, the winds stopped, and the fleet could not leave. The seer Calchas announced that Artemis was angry with Agamemnon and would not release the winds unless he offered his daughter Iphigenia as a sacrifice.

Different myths explain the anger of Artemis in different ways. Agamemnon may have killed a sacred deer, failed to fulfill a promise, or boasted that he was a better hunter than the goddess.

The False Wedding

Agamemnon sent a message telling Clytemnestra to bring Iphigenia to Aulis because the girl was to marry Achilles. The wedding was a deception designed to bring Iphigenia to the Greek camp. Clytemnestra arrived believing that she was preparing her daughter for a respected marriage.

When she discovered the truth, Clytemnestra begged Agamemnon and Achilles to save Iphigenia. Achilles had not agreed to the false wedding and was angered that Agamemnon had used his name in the plan.

Clytemnestra and the Sacrifice of Iphigenia

A Mother’s Plea

In Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis, Clytemnestra strongly opposes the sacrifice. She reminds Agamemnon of his duties as a father and husband and refuses to accept that Greek military goals should require their daughter’s death.

Her opposition is central to her later story. The sacrifice is not a distant political event for Clytemnestra. It is the loss of her child through the choice and deception of her husband.

Did Iphigenia Die?

Ancient accounts give different versions of Iphigenia’s fate. In one tradition, she was sacrificed, and the winds returned so that the Greek fleet could sail. In another, Artemis replaced Iphigenia with a deer at the last moment and carried her to Tauris, where she became the goddess’ priestess.

Even in versions where Iphigenia survived, Clytemnestra may not have known what happened. From her point of view, Agamemnon had been willing to kill their daughter for the sake of the war.

The Beginning of Revenge

Iphigenia’s fate became Clytemnestra’s strongest reason for killing Agamemnon. The Trojan War began for the Greeks after a sacrifice at Aulis, but that same act also prepared the disaster that waited for Agamemnon when he returned home.

Clytemnestra’s revenge therefore connects the beginning and end of Agamemnon’s war. He sacrificed his daughter to sail to Troy, and he was killed by his wife after coming back from Troy.

Clytemnestra and Aegisthus

Aegisthus, Son of Thyestes

Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes and Pelopia. He belonged to the branch of the family that had suffered under Atreus. His father wanted revenge for the murder of his children at the Thyestean feast.

Aegisthus had already killed Atreus in some versions of the myth. His later plot against Agamemnon continued the same family feud into another generation.

The Affair During Agamemnon’s Absence

While Agamemnon was fighting at Troy, Clytemnestra became the lover of Aegisthus. Homer’s Odyssey says that Clytemnestra first resisted him and that Agamemnon had left a singer or guardian to watch over her. Aegisthus removed the guardian and eventually won her over.

Later tragedy often presents Clytemnestra as more independent and powerful. In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, she does not appear as a weak woman led by Aegisthus. She rules the palace, plans the murder, and openly claims responsibility for it.

Rule in Mycenae

Clytemnestra and Aegisthus controlled Mycenae during or after Agamemnon’s absence. When the signal came that Troy had fallen, Clytemnestra prepared to welcome her husband while secretly arranging his death.

Their partnership united two forms of revenge. Clytemnestra wanted revenge for Iphigenia and Agamemnon’s actions, while Aegisthus wanted revenge for the crimes of Atreus against Thyestes.

The Return of Agamemnon

Victory at Troy

After ten years of war, the Greeks captured Troy through the plan of the Wooden Horse. Agamemnon returned as the victorious commander of the Greek army. He brought treasure and captives from the ruined city.

Unlike Odysseus, who returned carefully and in disguise, Agamemnon entered his home openly and trusted the welcome prepared for him. This made him vulnerable to the plot already waiting inside his palace.

Cassandra

Agamemnon brought Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Hecuba, home as his captive and concubine. Cassandra had received the gift of prophecy from Apollo but was cursed so that no one would believe her warnings.

She understood that both she and Agamemnon would die inside the palace. However, she could not convince anyone to save them. For Clytemnestra, Cassandra may also have been another sign of Agamemnon’s betrayal and lack of respect for their marriage.

The Purple Cloth

In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Clytemnestra welcomes her husband with carefully chosen words and persuades him to walk over costly purple or crimson fabrics. Agamemnon first resists because such treatment may appear too proud or suitable only for gods.

He finally agrees and enters the palace. The scene shows Clytemnestra controlling him through praise and pressure while leading him toward the place of his murder.

The Murder of Agamemnon and Cassandra

The Bath and the Net

One famous version says that Clytemnestra attacked Agamemnon while he was bathing. She trapped him in a robe, cloth, or net-like garment that had no opening for his arms or head. Unable to defend himself, Agamemnon was struck down.

The exact weapon varies between retellings and artistic images. Clytemnestra is sometimes shown using an axe, while Aeschylus describes repeated blows without making every detail fully clear.

Clytemnestra Claims the Killing

In Aeschylus’ tragedy, Clytemnestra appears after the murder and openly admits what she has done. She does not hide behind Aegisthus or claim that the death was an accident. She presents the killing as justice for Iphigenia and as payment for Agamemnon’s crimes.

This makes her one of the most forceful women in Greek tragedy. She takes control of the palace, speaks before the elders of Argos, and defends an act that the men around her view as a shocking reversal of proper order.

The Death of Cassandra

Clytemnestra also kills Cassandra. The Trojan prophetess enters the palace knowing that she is walking toward death. Her murder joins the suffering of Troy with the violence of the House of Atreus.

Cassandra had survived the destruction of her city only to die in the house of the Greek commander who took her captive. Her death shows that the violence of the Trojan War continues after the warriors return home.

Clytemnestra in the Odyssey

The Story Told by Homer

Clytemnestra does not appear alive during the main action of Homer’s Odyssey, but her story is mentioned several times. Agamemnon’s murder becomes one of the poem’s main examples of a failed homecoming.

In Homer’s version, Aegisthus receives more direct blame for planning and carrying out the murder. Clytemnestra is still involved and helps kill Cassandra, but her role is less dominant than it becomes in Aeschylus’ tragedy.

Agamemnon and Odysseus

Agamemnon’s return is repeatedly compared with the return of Odysseus. Agamemnon comes home openly and is killed by his wife and her lover. Odysseus comes home in disguise, tests his household, defeats the suitors, and is reunited with Penelope.

This contrast creates two very different images of marriage and homecoming. Clytemnestra becomes the dangerous wife, while Penelope becomes the loyal wife who protects her husband’s house.

Agamemnon in the Underworld

When Odysseus visits the Underworld, he meets the spirit of Agamemnon. Agamemnon tells him about his murder and warns him not to trust women too easily. He also praises Penelope, whose loyalty is the opposite of Clytemnestra’s betrayal.

Agamemnon’s judgment is shaped by his own violent death. The wider myth, however, gives Clytemnestra motives that his bitter account does not fully consider, especially the sacrifice of Iphigenia.

Orestes as an Example for Telemachus

The Odyssey also uses Orestes as an example for Telemachus. Orestes became famous for avenging Agamemnon by killing Aegisthus. Athena and other figures encourage Telemachus to show similar courage in defending the house of Odysseus from Penelope’s suitors.

This comparison connects Clytemnestra’s family tragedy with the crisis in Ithaca. Both stories concern an absent king, a threatened household, a wife, a lover or group of suitors, and a son who must decide how to respond.

Clytemnestra and Her Children

Electra

Electra remained loyal to the memory of Agamemnon and hated Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. In the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides, she waits for Orestes to return and helps him carry out revenge.

The conflict between Clytemnestra and Electra is not only political. It is a conflict between mother and daughter over Agamemnon, Iphigenia, justice, and the meaning of family loyalty.

Orestes

Orestes was sent away or rescued after Agamemnon’s death. When he grew older, he returned to Mycenae with his friend Pylades. Following Apollo’s command, he killed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.

By killing his mother, Orestes avenged his father but committed the crime of matricide. The Erinyes pursued him, continuing the family’s cycle of blood revenge.

Chrysothemis

Chrysothemis appears less often than Electra and Orestes. In Sophocles’ Electra, she is more cautious and obedient than Electra. She understands the wrongs inside the palace but fears the power of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Her different response shows that Agamemnon’s children did not all react to the family crisis in the same way.

Iphigenia

Iphigenia is absent from most of Clytemnestra’s later story, but her memory drives it. Whether she died at Aulis or was secretly rescued by Artemis, Clytemnestra believed Agamemnon had betrayed and destroyed their daughter.

Iphigenia’s fate stands behind the murder of Agamemnon, just as Agamemnon’s death stands behind the murder of Clytemnestra.

The Death of Clytemnestra

Orestes Returns

Orestes returned in disguise or secrecy, depending on the ancient version. With the help of Electra and Pylades, he entered the palace and killed Aegisthus. He then faced Clytemnestra.

A Mother’s Final Appeal

Clytemnestra tried to stop Orestes by reminding him that she was his mother and had nursed him as a child. In many dramatic versions, Orestes hesitates. Pylades or the command of Apollo reminds him that he has returned to avenge Agamemnon.

Orestes then kills Clytemnestra. Her death completes one act of revenge but immediately creates another crime that demands judgment.

The Erinyes Pursue Orestes

After the matricide, the Erinyes pursue Orestes. These ancient goddesses punish crimes against family blood, especially the murder of a parent. Orestes cannot escape guilt simply because he was avenging his father.

In Aeschylus’ Eumenides, Orestes is eventually tried at Athens. The trial helps replace endless private revenge with a public system of judgment.

Clytemnestra’s Role and Symbolism

Wife, Mother, and Ruler

Clytemnestra cannot be understood through only one role. She is an unfaithful wife, but also a mother seeking revenge for her daughter. She is a murderer, but also a woman responding to the violence of her husband. She is a queen who rules effectively, but her rule is built on bloodshed.

These conflicting roles are what make her one of the most complex figures in Greek mythology.

Revenge and Justice

Clytemnestra believes that killing Agamemnon is justice. Agamemnon sacrificed Iphigenia, destroyed Troy, and returned with Cassandra. From her point of view, his death is payment for his actions.

Greek tragedy does not allow the issue to end there. Orestes sees his own revenge as justice too. The result is a cycle in which every killing can be defended by an earlier wrong.

The Reversal of Power

Clytemnestra reverses the expected power of the heroic household. Instead of waiting quietly for the warrior to return, she rules the palace and kills him when he enters it. Ancient characters often describe her strength in terms normally used for men.

Her power makes her impressive, but it also frightens the male world of Greek tragedy. She breaks expectations about wives, queens, and political control.

The Dark Homecoming

Clytemnestra represents the danger waiting inside the home after war. Agamemnon survives ten years at Troy, only to be killed in his own palace. His homecoming becomes the opposite of a safe return.

This is why her story is so important to the Odyssey. Odysseus must avoid Agamemnon’s fate and discover whether his own household has remained loyal.

Clytemnestra in Ancient Literature

Homer’s Odyssey

In Homer’s Odyssey, Clytemnestra is part of the story of Agamemnon’s failed return. Aegisthus is presented as the main planner of the crime, while Clytemnestra becomes an example set against the faithful Penelope.

The poem also uses Orestes’ revenge as a model of action for Telemachus.

Aeschylus’ Oresteia

Clytemnestra has her most powerful ancient role in Aeschylus’ Oresteia. In Agamemnon, she plans and carries out the murders of Agamemnon and Cassandra. In The Libation Bearers, Orestes returns and kills her. Her death then leads to the trial and pursuit shown in The Eumenides.

Sophocles’ Electra

Sophocles’ Electra focuses on the hatred between Electra and Clytemnestra and on the return of Orestes. Clytemnestra defends the murder of Agamemnon by pointing to his sacrifice of Iphigenia.

The play gives both mother and daughter strong reasons for their anger, even though they stand on opposite sides of the family conflict.

Euripides’ Plays

Euripides presents Clytemnestra at different stages of her life. In Iphigenia at Aulis, she is a mother fighting to save her daughter. In Electra, she is the queen who killed Agamemnon and is later killed by her children.

These plays show how Clytemnestra changes from a deceived mother into a ruler and murderer.

Misconceptions and Lesser-Known Facts

Clytemnestra Had More Than One Motive

A common mistake is to explain Clytemnestra’s actions only through her affair with Aegisthus. Her motives also include Iphigenia’s sacrifice, Agamemnon’s treatment of her, Cassandra’s arrival, political power, and the curse of the House of Atreus.

The Ancient Sources Do Not Give One Version

Homer gives Aegisthus a larger role in Agamemnon’s death. Aeschylus makes Clytemnestra the main planner and killer. Later writers and artists also vary the weapon, the location, and the exact way the murder happens.

Clytemnestra and Helen Were Sisters

Clytemnestra was the sister or half-sister of Helen of Troy. Helen’s departure helped begin the Trojan War, while Clytemnestra’s revenge shaped its aftermath. The two sisters stand near the beginning and end of the Trojan story.

Her Comparison With Penelope Is Central

The Odyssey repeatedly places Clytemnestra and Penelope on opposite sides. Clytemnestra joins with another man and helps destroy her returning husband. Penelope resists the suitors and protects Odysseus’ household until he returns.

This contrast is powerful, though later tragedy gives Clytemnestra a more complex case than the simple image of an unfaithful wife.

Her Death Does Not End the Curse

Orestes kills Clytemnestra to avenge Agamemnon, but he is then punished for killing his mother. Her death therefore continues rather than ends the curse of the family.

Unraveling Clytemnestra: Queen, Mother, and Avenger

Clytemnestra is one of the most difficult figures in Greek mythology to judge. She commits a planned murder and kills both her husband and Cassandra. Yet her anger begins with Agamemnon’s own acts, especially his willingness to sacrifice Iphigenia for the Trojan War.

Her myth asks whether revenge can ever restore justice. Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon for Iphigenia, Orestes kills Clytemnestra for Agamemnon, and the Erinyes pursue Orestes for his mother. Each person claims to answer an earlier crime, but every answer brings new bloodshed.

Through Clytemnestra, the glory of the Trojan War is brought back into the home. Agamemnon returns as a victorious commander, but his victory cannot erase what happened at Aulis or heal his family. Clytemnestra makes the homecoming of the Greeks as tragic as the war itself.

Clytemnestra Sources

Clytemnestra appears in Homer’s “Odyssey,” especially in the stories of Agamemnon’s return and murder and in the comparison between Clytemnestra and Penelope. The poem also presents Orestes’ revenge against Aegisthus as an example for Telemachus.

The fullest ancient account of Clytemnestra’s murder of Agamemnon is Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon.” Her death at the hands of Orestes is told in Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers and in Sophocles’ “Electra.”

Clytemnestra’s attempt to save Iphigenia before the Trojan War is central to Euripides’ “Iphigenia at Aulis.” Euripides’ “Electra” gives another version of her conflict with Electra and Orestes.

See Also: Agamemnon, Iphigenia, Orestes, Electra, Aegisthus, Cassandra