Clytemnestra



Clytemnestra is the wife of Agamemnon, the Greek kingdom Argos. Daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, she is the half-sister of Helen of Troy. She is also known for not only being the wife of Agamemnon, but also as his murderer. She was cursed to live as an adulteress by Aphrodite after the former's father neglected a sacrifice for the latter.

Marriages

Originally Clytemnestra married Tantalus, the son of Thysetes (also known as the king of Mycenae). Soon after, Tantalus was killed by Agamemnon and claimed Clytemnestra as his wife and at the same time becoming the king of Mycenae. During her marriage to Agamemnon, she bore him 4 offspring: Electra, Orestes, Iphigenia, and Chrysothemis.

Later Life

Clytemnestra's marriage to Agamemnon did not last for long. Time went by and soon after Calchas declared that Iphigenia must be sacrificed to Artemis before the Greeks go to war. Clytemnestra strongly disagreed to this ludicrous statement and protested but to no avail and so Iphigenia was still sacrificed and the Greeks went to war. During the Trojan War, Clytemnestra met Aegisthus with whom she committed adultery with due to the effect of the curse laid upon her by Aphrodite and also as protest or payback for the sacrifice of her daughter, Iphigenia. After the Trojan War ended, Clytemnestra conspired with Aegisthus to murder her husband after she heard rumors that Agamemnon was going to bring home a concubine, which was revealed to be Cassandra.

Death

After the murder of both Agamemnon and Cassandra, her son Orestes caught wind of this treachery and plotted to avenge his father. Once he saw Aegisthus, he immediately killed him and also ultimately killed Clytemnestra for her infidelity and betrayal.

Sources: - http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/clytemnestra.html - http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/clytemnestra.htm - http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Clytemnestra.html - http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/clytemnestra.html - http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/clytemnestra_agamemnon1.JPG