CLYTEMNESTRA (daughter of Tyndareus in Greek mythology)

Before her union with Agamemnon, Tyndareus gave the virgin Clytemnestra in marriage to Tantalus, son of Thyestes. [f: 15, 35]^4,12 Agamemnon forcibly took her as his wife after killing Tantalus, an act that also resulted in the death of her infant son, whom the king threw to the ground. [f: 10, 24]^13,4,14 Together with Agamemnon, she bore three daughters and one son, including Iphigenia, Electra, Chrysothemis, and Orestes. [f: 6, 7, 13]^{15,16,17,18,4,14} She endured a long, weary life separated from her husband while he was away at Ilium, during which time she chose Aegisthus as a partner and addressed him as her beloved. [f: 17, 14, 23]^{15,19,16,20,21}

When Agamemnon returned, he claimed to have sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to please the Argives or Menelaus, a claim that fueled Clytemnestra's grief and anger. [f: 19, 8]^22,23,24,25 She feared that she and Iphigenia were on a deadly errand, weeping and expressing sorrow while speaking with her daughter. [f: 27, 8]^26,27,24,25 As Agamemnon entered the palace, Clytemnestra prayed to Zeus to fulfill her wishes, yet she privately considered abandoning Aegisthus to avoid shared punishment. [f: 18, 25]^28,29,30,31 She killed Agamemnon together with Aegisthus by trapping him in a robe, and also killed Cassandra while Agamemnon was dying nearby. [f: 2, 22]^32,33,34 She declared that this killing was a just and fitting act of justice against a hated foe who brought ruin upon his own house through treachery and lies. [f: 20]^35,22

Clytemnestra lived in constant fear of death due to her son Orestes' threats to kill her so she would join Aegisthus in the grave. [f: 28]^16,36 Her heart bore visible gashes from the weapon that killed her, and she felt dishonored and reproached by other dead. [f: 54, 74]³⁷ She shared her throne with Aegisthus, and Perilaus sought vengeance for her murder.^38,39

Clytemnestra was characterized as the bulwark of the Apian land, yet she also identified herself as the ancient bitter evil spirit of Atreus. [f: 45, 32]^6,40 She spoke with pragmatic advice and in a formal, prayerful style, commanding ritual actions and slaves with authority. [f: 92, 93, 94]^41,42,43 Though she claimed strength and purity of soul revived, she was often described as frenzied and angry, driven by a desire to remain unharmed and govern the house. [f: 75, 77, 71, 73]^31,44,45,29 In the end, she was a hated daughter of Tyndareus, whose fate was sealed by the very house she sought to control. [f: 97, 50]^18,46