King of Mycenae and commander-in-chief of the Greek forces at Troy. His quarrel with Achilles opens the Iliad, and his murder upon returning home became the basis of Aeschylus's tragedy.
Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led the combined Greek expedition to Troy to recover his brother Menelaus's wife Helen. Before the fleet could sail, he was forced by the goddess Artemis's anger (over an offense that varies by source) to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigenia to gain favorable winds, an act that poisons his household even before the war begins.
The Quarrel that Starts the Iliad
The Iliad opens with Agamemnon's dispute with Achilles: forced to give up his own war-prize to appease the god Apollo, he seizes Achilles's prize Briseis instead, driving Achilles to withdraw from the fighting and nearly costing the Greeks the war. Agamemnon is portrayed throughout as a capable but flawed leader, prone to poor judgment and stubborn pride.
Murder at Home
Agamemnon survives the ten-year war only to be murdered in his own home by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, in revenge for Iphigenia's sacrifice and for bringing home the captive prophetess Cassandra as a concubine. Homer's Odyssey has Agamemnon's ghost warn Odysseus, from the underworld, never to trust a wife with everything. The murder and its aftermath, including his son Orestes's revenge, form the plot of Aeschylus's Oresteia.
Parentage
Mortal parent: Atreus, king of Mycenae
Wholly mortal parentage, and heir to the Atreid line's long history of family curses.
Key Deeds
•Commanded the combined Greek forces at Troy
•Sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to secure favorable winds for the fleet
•Seized Achilles's war-prize Briseis, provoking Achilles's withdrawal from battle
•Led the Greeks to victory after ten years of war
Fate
Murdered in his own home upon returning from Troy by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, an act later avenged by his son Orestes.
Primary Sources
Historical texts and references
“Agamemnon's shade told Odysseus that Clytemnestra had killed him and his companions like oxen slaughtered at a manger.”
“She struck him down within the palace, and the earth ran red with the blood of the king.”
