What is Clytemnestra known for?

Clytemnestra, in Greek legend, a daughter of Leda and Tyndareus and wife of Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. She took Aegisthus as her lover while Agamemnon was away at war. Upon his return, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon.

What kind of person is Clytemnestra?

Clytemnestra is shown as an independent woman, with the strength and intelligence of a man, who has ruled a country in her husband’s place for 10 years. It is only fitting that her act of vengeance be completed with a man’s weapon.

What is Clytemnestra?

Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon Agamemnon’s concubine, Cassandra, who was outside the palace, had foreseen the plot, but as she was cursed by the god Apollo, no one believed her and she reluctantly accepted her fate and was slain.

What kind of woman is Clytemnestra?

Clytemnestra is decisive, resolute, and aggressive, and her femininity is often called into question. However, she is able mask her anger in public moments in order to carry out her revenge plot.

How is Clytemnestra born?

Clytemnestra was the daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, the King and Queen of Sparta, making her a Spartan Princess. Leda produced four offspring from two eggs: Castor and Clytemnestra from one egg, and Helen and Polydeuces (Pollux) from the other.

What is significant about Agamemnon’s lineage?

He was the son (or grandson) of Atreus, king of Mycenae, and his wife Aërope and was the brother of Menelaus. After Atreus was murdered by his nephew Aegisthus (son of Thyestes), Agamemnon and Menelaus took refuge with Tyndareus, king of Sparta, whose daughters, Clytemnestra and Helen, they respectively married.

Is Clytemnestra a tragic hero?

Two of the most famous Greek tragic heroes (heroines) were Medea and Clytemnestra. They share characteristics Aristotle deemed essential for the heroic character in a tragedy. Clytemnestra is obsessed by the desire for vengeance over the death of her daughter at the hands of her husband, Agamemnon.

What does Clytemnestra do in the absence of her husband?

She rules Argos in his absence of her husband. She is very different from the typical women of her time and portrayed as a mixer of strength and weakness. She kills her husband Agamemnon to take revenge on him for his sacrifices of her daughter Iphigenia.

How does Clytemnestra act like a man?

Nearly every male character in the play criticizes Clytemnestra for exhibiting qualities associated with men, and in the end, these very qualities—decisiveness, aggression, and sense of justice—are in fact what allow her to carry out her revenge plot.

Who is the daughter of Agamemnon?

Electra
ChrysothemisIphigenia
Agamemnon/Daughters
Electra, (Greek: “Bright One”) in Greek legend, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who saved the life of her young brother Orestes by sending him away when their father was murdered. When he later returned, she helped him to slay their mother and their mother’s lover, Aegisthus.

Is Clytemnestra a hero or villain?

Two of the most famous Greek tragic heroes (heroines) were Medea and Clytemnestra. They share characteristics Aristotle deemed essential for the heroic character in a tragedy. They are both of high rank. Medea is a princess and a sorceress, and Clytemnestra was the de facto ruler of Argos in Agamemnon’s absence.

Where did the name Clytemnestra come from?

The name ‘Clytemnestra’ seems to have Indo-European roots in “kleu-” to hear “tem-” to cut. If the name means famous cutter then it is a name that applies to what she did to Agamemnon. No doubt she had another name before the myths. The other possibility is Nemesis.

How did Clytemnestra contribute to the Trojan War?

She was the daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, rulers of Sparta, and sister of Castor, Polydeuces, and Helen. When her sister Helen and wife of Agamemnon ‘s brother, Menelaus, was abducted by Paris and was taken to Troy, Agamemnon decided to help his brother and bring his wife back, thus starting the Trojan War.

Who are the husbands of Clytemnestra’s three husbands?

Clytemnestra had to suffer through three husbands: Her father, king Tyndareus of Sparta, betrothed her to Tantalus while she was still a virgin. Agamemnon killed Tantalus because he was the son of Thyestes who had debauched his mother. She was corrupted by Aegisthus and turned against Agamemnon.

Who was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra?

Aegisthus and Clytemnestra took the rule of Mycenae for seven years, until Orestes, the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, returned and killed his mother and her lover as revenge for his father’s death. See Also: Agamemnon, Tyndareus, Leda, Castor, Polydeuces, Helen, Menelaus, Trojan War, Iphigenia, Aegisthus,…