Why did Clytemnestra kill her husband?
In Aeschylus’s play Agamemnon, part of his Oresteia trilogy, Clytemnestra is driven to murder Agamemnon partly to avenge the death of her daughter Iphigeneia, whom Agamemnon had sacrificed for the sake of success in the war, partly because of her adulterous love for Aegisthus and partly as an agent for the curse on …
How did Orestes die?
Orestes inherited his father’s kingdom, adding to it Argos and Lacedaemon. He married Hermione, daughter of Helen and Menelaus, and eventually died of snakebite. The story of Orestes was a favourite in ancient art and literature.
How does Aegisthus die?
While Agamemnon lay siege to Troy, his estranged queen Clytemnestra took Aegisthus as a lover. The couple killed Agamemnon upon the king’s return, making Aegisthus king of Mycenae once more. Aegisthus ruled for seven more years before his death at the hands of Agamemnon’s son Orestes.
How many kids did Clytemnestra?
Agamemnon and Clytemnestra had four children: one son, Orestes, and three daughters, Iphigenia, Electra and Chrysothemis. Menelaus succeeded Tyndareus in Sparta, while Agamemnon, with his brother’s assistance, drove out Aegisthus and Thyestes to recover his father’s kingdom.
How does Clytemnestra behave when facing death?
How does Clytemnestra behave when facing death? She almost accepts her death when she says, “i killed by deceit and by deceit i was killed.” She is almost hypocritical and has not changed since Agamemnon.
Who is Hermes?
Hermes, Greek god, son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia; often identified with the Roman Mercury and with Casmilus or Cadmilus, one of the Cabeiri. His name is probably derived from herma (see herm), the Greek word for a heap of stones, such as was used in the country to indicate boundaries or as a landmark.
Who was Electra’s husband?
Electra then married Orestes’ friend Pylades. The plays of the same name written by Sophocles and Euripides and the Choephoroi by Aeschylus vary the theme in detail.
Why did Agamemnon marry Clytemnestra?
In this case, Clytemnestra was married to a man called Tantalus, son of Broteas, and therefore grandson of the more famous Tantalus; and Clytemnestra had born her husband a son. Agamemnon decided that he wanted Clytemnestra to be his wife, and so he killed Tantalus and Clytemnestra’s son.
Was Agamemnon a Spartan?
Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae and his brother Menelaus was the king of Sparta. Agamemnon and his brother were married to the daughters of King Tyndareus of Sparta, Clytemnestra and Helen. Agamemnon and Menelaus came from a family fraught with murder and incest.
How did Clytemnestra kill her husband and friend?
The stepson’s suit outlines how Clytemnestra, with malice aforethought, murdered her husband and his friend, Philoneus. According to the stepson, Clytemnestra tricked Philoneus’ concubine (who was probably an enslaved woman forced into sex work) into giving poison to her husband and Philoneus.
Why did Clytemnestra have an affair with Aegisthus?
While he was away, Clytemnestra started an affair with Aegisthus, with whom she plotted against her husband. Clytemnestra was angry with her husband, both because of her daughter’s sacrifice, as well as because Agamemnon had killed her first husband and taken her by force.
Who was the first husband of Clytemnestra in Euripides?
In a late variation, Euripides’s Iphigenia at Aulis, Clytemnestra’s first husband was Tantalus, King of Pisa; Agamemnon killed him and Clytemnestra’s infant son, then made Clytemnestra his wife.
Why was Clytemnestra married to the king of Sparta?
Tyndareus would have killed the murderer of his son-in-law and grandson, but when the king of Sparta came upon Agamemnon, Agamemnon was on his knees praying to the gods, and taken by the piety, Tyndareus decided not to kill Agamemnon, and instead Agamemnon and Clytemnestra were wed.