The Murder of Agamemnon
Agamemnon returns victorious from Troy but is murdered at home by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
The Story
The Trojan War ended in Greek victory, but Agamemnon's return home did not bring peace.
He sailed back to Mycenae carrying the prestige of commander of the Greek coalition.
Yet the household he had left behind had changed.
Clytemnestra had never forgotten the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia.
During Agamemnon's long absence, she formed a relationship with Aegisthus.
Aegisthus himself belonged to the violent history of the House of Atreus and had reasons of his own to seek revenge.
Agamemnon returned with Cassandra, the Trojan princess and prophetess, among the captives of war.
Cassandra knew what was about to happen.
Her curse, however, meant that truthful prophecy brought her little protection.
Inside the palace Agamemnon was attacked and killed.
Cassandra was also murdered.
Ancient traditions differ over exactly how the killing was carried out and whether Clytemnestra or Aegisthus took the leading role.
But the result was the same.
The victorious commander of the Greek army survived ten years of war only to die in his own home.
Clytemnestra and Aegisthus took control.
The violence of the House of Atreus had completed another cycle.
Atreus' crimes against Thyestes had produced Aegisthus.
Agamemnon's sacrifice of Iphigenia had created Clytemnestra's hatred.
Now both lines of revenge converged in the king's murder.
But Agamemnon had a surviving son.
Orestes would eventually return.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Agamemnon's murder shows that victory at Troy does not end the consequences of the war. It also brings together the inherited curse of the Atreid family with Clytemnestra's personal grievance over Iphigenia.
Traditions & Variations
Aeschylus gives Clytemnestra the dominant role in Agamemnon's murder, while other traditions place greater emphasis on Aegisthus. Details of the killing, including the famous bath and entangling garment, vary between authors.