Clytemnestra

Matricide victim, Argos

Clytemnestra is a figure from Greek mythology, the queen of Mycenae who murdered her husband Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan War—revenge for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia.

She was later killed by her son Orestes.

The name evokes themes of vengeance, betrayal, and the moral complexity of justified murder.

mythology

Agamemnon

Mycenaean king, war leader

IphigeniaMycenaean princess nearly sacrificed
MycenaeAncient Greek citadel-city
TantalusMythic king eternally denied

curse · House of Atreus · matricide · vengeance · Cassandra · sacrifice · bath · axe · net · bloodline

vengeance

murder

Deliberate unlawful killing

retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
justiceFair treatment under law
rageIntense, violent anger

betrayal · grieving mother · Iphigenia · plotting · ambush · adultery · conspiracy · knife · bloodbath · wrath

literary

Aeschylus

Father of tragedy

OresteiaThree linked Greek tragedies
EuripidesGreek tragic dramatist
SophoclesClassical Athenian playwright

tragedy · antagonist · protagonist · antihero · monologue · chorus · Greek drama · feminism · reinterpretation · archetype

feminine

queen

Most powerful chess piece

motherFemale parent
wifeFemale marriage partner
adulteressMarried woman's illicit lover-taker

powerful · defiant · transgressive · agency · patriarchy · subversive · bold · dangerous · ruler · regent

Opposites

spousal fidelity and loyalty

ClytemnestraPenelope

Traditional name, Greek origin

faithful wife · Andromache · Lucretia · Eurydice

moral character as wife/mother

ClytemnestraPenelope

Traditional name, Greek origin

Virgin Mary · Cornelia · devoted mother · Andromache

victim vs. perpetrator of domestic violence

ClytemnestraIphigenia

Mycenaean princess nearly sacrificed

Antigone · Cassandra · Andromache · Agamemnon · victim

Family

Electra, Orestes

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