The Story of Agamemnon
Agamemnon was a son of Atreus and belonged to the cursed House of Atreus, a family haunted by crimes going back generations. His father quarreled bitterly with his own brother Thyestes and even served him his own children at a feast. When Atreus was murdered, Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus fled to Sparta, and with the help of King Tyndareus, Agamemnon won back the throne of Mycenae.
Agamemnon married Clytemnestra, the daughter of Tyndareus, while Menelaus married her sister Helen. Agamemnon and Clytemnestra had several children, including Iphigenia, Electra and Orestes. Mycenae grew into the richest and most powerful kingdom in Greece.
When Paris carried Helen off to Troy, Agamemnon became the commander of the Greek army. The fleet gathered at Aulis, but Artemis, angered by Agamemnon, sent winds that kept the ships from sailing. A seer said he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia, and he lured her there with the promise of marriage to Achilles, though some versions say Artemis saved her at the last moment.
The war dragged on for ten years. Agamemnon was forced to return his captive Chryseis to her father, a priest of Apollo, to end a plague, and he took Achilles' prize Briseis instead. This insult led Achilles to withdraw from the fighting, the quarrel that opens Homer's Iliad.
Agamemnon was a brave fighter and had his own moments of glory on the battlefield. As the Greeks suffered without Achilles, he sent an embassy offering rich gifts and the return of Briseis, but Achilles refused. Only after the death of Patroclus did the two men make peace.
When Troy fell, Agamemnon returned home in triumph, bringing the Trojan princess Cassandra as his captive. But Clytemnestra had never forgiven him for Iphigenia, and in his absence she had taken his cousin Aegisthus as her lover. In Aeschylus's famous version, she welcomed Agamemnon warmly, then killed him in his bath, trapping him in a net, and killed Cassandra too.
Years later, his son Orestes returned to avenge him by killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, a story told in Aeschylus's trilogy the Oresteia. Agamemnon became the image of a mighty king brought low by the curse on his family. When the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found a gold funeral mask at Mycenae, he named it the Mask of Agamemnon, though it is much older than the time of the Trojan War.
Famous Myths About Agamemnon
The Sacrifice of Iphigenia
When the Greek fleet was trapped at Aulis by winds sent by an angry Artemis, a seer said Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. He lured her there with the promise of marriage to Achilles, and the sacrifice allowed the ships to sail, though some versions say Artemis saved her at the last moment.
The Quarrel with Achilles
Forced to give up his captive Chryseis to end a plague sent by Apollo, Agamemnon took Achilles' prize, Briseis, instead. The insult made Achilles withdraw from the war, a quarrel that opens Homer's Iliad.
Murder in Mycenae
Agamemnon returned home in triumph with the Trojan princess Cassandra, but his wife Clytemnestra had never forgiven him for Iphigenia. She welcomed him warmly, then killed him in his bath with the help of her lover Aegisthus.
Agamemnon's Family Tree
Parents of Agamemnon
Partners of Agamemnon
Children of Agamemnon
Frequently Asked Questions About Agamemnon
Who was Agamemnon in Greek mythology?
Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae and the commander of the Greek army in the Trojan War.
Who were Agamemnon's parents?
Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Aerope, and the elder brother of Menelaus, king of Sparta.
Why did Agamemnon sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia?
When the Greek fleet was stuck at Aulis without wind, a seer said Artemis demanded the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon agreed, though in some versions Artemis saved the girl at the last moment.
How did Agamemnon die?
When Agamemnon came home from Troy, his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered him, partly in revenge for Iphigenia. His son Orestes later avenged him.
Did the Mask of Agamemnon really belong to him?
The gold mask Heinrich Schliemann found at Mycenae in 1876 was named after Agamemnon, but it is about three centuries older than the traditional date of the Trojan War.
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