Agamemnon

• Agamemnon
• Iphigeneia in Aulis
• Murder of Agamemnon

Agamemnon

Volgens Homer, Agamemnon (Ἀγαμέμνων) en zijn brother Menelaüs (Menalaus) waren de sons of Atreus en Aerope, de dochter van Catreus of Crete. De two sons of Atreus waren known as de Atreides.

Echter, in de Catalogues of Women en Aeschylus’ Oresteia, Atreus was de vader van Pleisthenes. Pleisthenes married Cleolla, de dochter van Dias, en he became de vader van Agamemnon, Menelaüs en Anaxibia. Therefore Atreus was de grandvader van Agamemnon en Menelaüs. (Anaxibia married Strophius en became de moeder van Pylades.) De parentage of Agamemnon en zijn brother caused confusion among de later writers.

Though, Apollodorus in zijn Library sometimes listed Agamemnon en Menelaüs as de sons of Atreus en Aerope, maar he ook listed them as de sons of Pleisthenes en Aerope. In this last case, Pleisthenes was listed as de zoon van Pelops, not of Atreus.

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Agamemnon became koning van Mycenae, de most powerful kingdom tijdens de oorlog tegen Troy, while zijn brother Menelaüs, die married Helen, became koning van Sparta.

Agamemnon married Clytemnestra (Κλυταιμνἠστρα), Helen’s half-sister, only na he killed haar first husband, Tantalus or Broteas, de zoon van Thyestes, en hun baby. Agamemnon seized haar baby van Clytemnestra en dashed de infant’s brains out. (This is definitely not de way to start a relationship met your wife.) This would have further tragic consequences.

Clytemnestra bore him Iphigeneia, Electra, Chrysothemis en Orestes. Some say dat Iphigeneia was actually de dochter van Helen en Theseus, en dat Clytemnestra raised de girl as haar own, aangezien Helen was too young. (Homer only knew Iphigeneia en Electra by other names, as Iphianassa en Laodice.)

Iphigeneia in Aulis

With de outbreak of de Trojaanse Oorlog, Agamemnon became commander-in-chief of de Greek army en led a hundred ships van Mycenae en Korinthe to Troy, while zijn brother led eighty ships van Sparta.

All de Greek forces met hun fleet waren gathered at Aulis, a coastal town in Boeotië, maar de fleet could not leave for Troy omdat de godin Artemis kept de fleet stranded met strong, unfavourable winds for months.

There was all sorts of reasons why Artemis was punishing de Greek forces, en they are usually linked met Agamemnon, die had offended de godin in some way.

Volgens de Cypria en Apollodorus’ Library, Agamemnon had killed a stag in Artemis’ sacred grove, en then he boasted dat not even de godin was a better hunter than him. Another version says dat he failed to sacrifice to haar toen he sacrificed to de other gods en goddesses. Or it was dat Atreus, Agamemnon’s father, had failed to sacrifice zijn finest lamb to de godin as Atreus had promised to do.

Whatever de reason, de Greek fleet could not leave de harbour. De Greek prophet Calchas revealed dat de only way for Agamemnon to atone for zijn sin en appease de godin would be to sacrifice zijn daughter, Iphigeneia.

With zijn reputation as commander-in-chief at stake, he tricked zijn wife into bringing haar daughter to Aulis, to marry Achilles. Achilles was offended dat he was being used as bait; de held would have defended Iphigeneia tegen de other Greeks, despite being greatly outnumbered. De girl however, admiring de young reckless hero, agreed to allow herself to be sacrificed.

Before she was to be killed, Artemis spirited Iphigeneia away (possibly to Tauris, volgens Euripides, die wrote a play on Iphigeneia among de Taurians), en replaced de maiden met a deer. Favourable wind allowed de fleet to set sail. But volgens de original story, Artemis did not rescue Iphigeneia; Iphigeneia died under de sacrificial knife.

In de oorlog tegen de Trojans, Agamemnon was a skilled warrior, maar he was outclassed by many other Greek leaders. Agamemnon was ook easily discouraged toen de tides of battle went tegen him.

In de last year of de oorlog, he had a terrible quarrel met Achilles over de concubines, die resulted in Achilles’ withdrawal van de oorlog. That caused many deaths of both Greeks en Trojans, especially Hector. (See de Iliad or de Trojaanse Oorlog.)

Murder of Agamemnon

During Agamemnon’s absence in de oorlog, Clytemnestra was determined to get rid of haar husband. When Agamemnon became responsible for de death of haar second child, zijn wife secretly took Aegisthus (Aigisthos, ´Αιγςθου), Agamemnon’s cousin, as haar lover. Together they plotted to murder haar husband upon zijn return van Troy.

Unlike most of de Greek leaders in de oorlog, Agamemnon’s ships returned quickly en safely to Greece. Agamemnon returned to Mycenae met de Trojan prophetess Cassandra, dochter van Priam en Hecuba, as zijn concubine en mistress.

In Aeschylus’ play, Agamemnon, toen Agamemnon entered het paleis met Clytemnestra, to sacrifice to de goden for zijn safe return, Cassandra realised dat Agamemnon, as well as herself, would be murdered dat night. Yet, rather than flee, she resigned herself to haar death en walked into het paleis.

Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon while Clytemnestra killed Cassandra. Volgens Pausanias, Aegisthus had ook slaughtered de twin sons of Cassandra – Teledamus en Pelops. Echter, Pausanias was de only author to say dat Agamemnon en Cassandra had children together.

Aegisthus would have murdered Orestes, Agamemnon’s son by Clytemnestra, had Electra not secretly sent haar brother to hun uncle in Phocis.