Clytemnestra

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Clytemnestra [r]: Sometimes spelled Clytaimestra, she is a character from Greek mythology who was the wife of Agamemnon, mother of Orestes, half-sister of Helen of Troy, and lover of Aigisthos. She was angry when Agamemnon decides to sacrifice their daughter Iphigeneia to satisfy a requirement of Artemis based on the prophecy of seer Calchas. While Agamemnon is away at Troy (ancient city) during the Trojan War, she has an illicit romance with Aigisthos; when Agamemnon returns, she helps her lover murder her husband, and this sparks a continuing sequence of Greek tragedy which provided much material for tragedians. [e]

This article contains just a definition and optionally other subpages (such as a list of related articles), but no metadata. Create the metadata page if you want to expand this into a full article.
Photo of a painting with women.
Clytemnestra, according to Greek mythology, made a fateful decision to have a lover, Agisthos, who murdered her husband Agamemnon and brought horrific tragedy on the family over several generations. But .Greek mythology is populated with a wide range of characters, including gods and goddesses, humans, creatures, hybrids, mystical forces, sea creatures, nymphs, and winged avengers such as Harpies. These stories have been a vital part of Western civilization and have been source material for Renaissance painters such as Correggio. Pictured: Leda and the Swan.Painting circa 1532.