Clytemnestra
The Queen Who Took Justice Into Her Own Hands
⚡ Quick Facts
Helen's Forgotten Sister
Clytemnestra was Helen of Troy's twin sister — both daughters of Leda, though their parentage was complicated by Zeus's famous visit in the form of a swan. While Helen became the face that launched a thousand ships, Clytemnestra became something arguably more interesting: a queen who refused to be a victim.
She was first married to Tantalus (not the famous one), who was murdered by Agamemnon along with their infant child so that Agamemnon could take Clytemnestra as his own wife. This first violence is often forgotten but helps explain everything that followed.
The Murder of the King
When Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to gain favorable winds for Troy, Clytemnestra's hatred crystallized. Over the ten years of the war, she took Aegisthus as her lover and co-ruler, governing Mycenae with an iron hand while her husband fought abroad.
When Agamemnon returned victorious — bringing the Trojan princess Cassandra as his concubine — Clytemnestra welcomed him with false joy. She laid out purple tapestries for him to walk upon, drew him a bath, and then trapped him in a robe and struck him with an axe. She killed Cassandra too.
In Aeschylus' telling, Clytemnestra feels no guilt. She stands over her husband's body and declares herself an instrument of justice — vengeance for Iphigenia and for the corruption of the House of Atreus.
Her Own End
Justice — or vengeance — came full circle when her son Orestes, encouraged by Electra and commanded by Apollo, returned to kill her. Clytemnestra's murder of Agamemnon raised the question that echoes through all of Greek tragedy: when does justice become murder, and when does murder become justice?