Agamemnon | Greek Mythology

Agamemnon was a king of Mycenae in Greek Mythology. He is the husband of Clytemnestra, father Orestes and Electra and brother to Menelaus.

Agamemnon led the Greeks in battle during the Trojan War, after Menelaus' daughter Helen was abducted and taken to Troy by Paris.

On the way to fight the war, Agamemnon experiences a plague and unusually calm winds, preventing him from reaching Troy promptly. These are said to be the wrath of Artemis, who was angered by the coming war. Agamemnon is told by a prophet that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in order to please the goddess. Although he may have hesitated, he did ultimately comply.

After his victory at Troy, Agamemnon took the Trojan princess Cassandra as a concubine. When Agamemnon returned to Greece, he brought Cassandra. His wife, Clytemnestra, had also taken Aegisthus as a lover back home. Clytemnestra killed both Agamemnon and Cassandra as punishment for the killing of Iphigenia.

Agamemnon is a mythical figure, but may have been a reflection of an actual king.