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Clytemnestra

File:Clytemnestra_by_John_Collier,_1882.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Clytemnestra

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Also known as Clytaemnestra, Klytemnestra, Clytaemestra

In Greek mythology, Clytemnestra (, ; , ), was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the half-sister of Helen of Troy. With Agamemnon, she was the mother of Orestes and Electra.

AI overview

Clytemnestra was a figure in ancient Greek mythology, known as the wife of King Agamemnon of Mycenae and the half-sister of Helen of Troy. She is significant in Greek myths as the mother of notable children including Orestes and Electra, making her a central figure in several major ancient stories.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Deity.type
Greek
Deity.image
Clytemnestra by John Collier, 1882.jpg
Deity.caption
Clytemnestra, John Collier, 1882
Deity.god_of
Queen of Mycenae
Deity.spouse
Tantalus, Agamemnon, Aegisthus
Deity.father
Tyndareus
Deity.mother
Leda
Deity.siblings
Helen of Troy, Castor and Pollux, Phoebe, Timandra, Philonoe
Deity.children
Orestes, Electra, Iphigenia, Chrysothemis, Iphianassa, Aletes, Erigone, Helen

via Wikipedia infobox

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Name
  • Background
  • Mythology
  • Murder of Agamemnon
  • Death
  • Appearance in later works
  • References
  • Citations
  • Sources
  • External links

In Greek mythology, Clytemnestra (, ; , ), was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the half-sister of Helen of Troy. With Agamemnon, she was the mother of Orestes and Electra.

Clytemnestra appears as a character in multiple ancient Greek works, including the Homeric epics and plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. She is infamous for murdering Agamemnon when he returned from the Trojan War along with Trojan princess Cassandra, taken as a war prize, as revenge for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia to the gods. However, in Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, her role in Agamemnon's death is unclear and her character is significantly more subdued.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Clytemnestra” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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