Agamemnon

**Agamemnon** was the king of either Argos or Mycenae. He was married to Clytemnestra and was the father of Iphigenia, Electra, and Orestes.

## Overview

Agamemnon is a great warrior. However, he is also quite selfish and stubborn and doesn't care too much about his family. He sacrificed his own daughter Iphigenia to allow the wind to blow toward Troy for the Achaean army's ships, although he gets a pass because the gods ordered him to. However, he also brings Cassandra back home as his bride-prize despite being married to Clytemnestra. He shows almost no respect for anyone else even if they're his allies. This is clearly shown during the Trojan War in his refusal to give up Chryseis until Achilles almost kills him. He also refuses despite the Achaean army dying en masse due to a plague from Apollo. He is also shown to be cowardly when he put forward the idea that the Achaeans should just leave Troy and run away.

Red hates Agamemnon.

## Classics Summarized

### Iphigenia

Agamemnon, along with the rest of the Achaean army, was stuck in Aulis because the wind wasn't blowing, and so the ships couldn't sail to Troy. He consulted an oracle who told him that he needed to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia for the wind to blow. He then sent a letter back home and requested Clytemnestra to bring Iphigenia to the camp so that she could marry Achilles.

Soon after, Agamemnon regretted his decision and sent another letter telling Clytemnestra and Iphigenia not to come. However, this letter was intercepted by his brother Menelaus who rebuked Agamemnon for not being willing to sacrifice his daughter for the war effort. At that time, Iphigenia, Clytemnestra, and the baby Orestes arrived.

Agamemnon lamented on the fact that he, for some reason, now had to kill his daughter. Menelaus, however, had a change of heart and asked Agamemnon to send Iphigenia home. Agamemnon remained unconvinced, though. He then talked with Clytemnestra, telling her about how great Achilles will be as Iphigenia's husband.

Later, Clytemnestra found out Agamemnon's true intentions and confronted him about his plan. Iphigenia was dismayed, but Agamemnon insisted that it must go on for the Achaean troops. Eventually, Iphigenia accepted her fate and Agamemnon sacrificed her to the gods. The wind then began to blow.

### The Iliad

Nine years into the Trojan War, Agamemnon refused to give his bride-prize Chryseis back to her father, Chryses, despite him offering a kingly ransom. Chryses, a priest of Apollo, then prayed to the god, and Apollo responded by spreading the plague among the Achaean soldiers. Achilles told Agamemnon to give Chryseis back, but he refused, and didn't give in until Achilles roasted and almost killed him. However, Agamemnon demands that Achilles give his own bride-prize Briseis to him as a replacement. Achilles begrudgingly agrees, but this caused him to drop out of the war entirely and reside in his tent.

Zeus sent Agamemnon a dream telling him to attack the Trojans full force. Agamemnon proceeded to do this, but Zeus sent Hector a dream as well to do the same thing.

As the Achaeans began to lose, Agamemnon called for the Achaeans to run away, which prompted Diomedes to then thoroughly scold him for such an idea and call him a coward. Agamemnon quickly saved face and said that what he meant to say is that they should run and go get Achilles. He then sent Ajax the Great and Odysseus to talk Achilles into fighting again.

Later, Agamemnon and Menelaus ordered Diomedes and Odysseus go on a stealth mission through the night into the Trojan camp for some espionage, of which they were successful. When the Sun rose, Agamemnon went out and did some valiant fighting. At some point, he got injured.

During Patroclus's funeral games, Agamemnon is seen chasing Menelaus demanding that he let him win.

### The Oresteia

It is first mentioned that Clytemnestra was livid at Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter and began planning her vengeance after he left for Troy. When Agamemnon returned home, he brought Cassandra, the Trojan princess, as his bride-prize. She immediately said that Clytemnestra was going to kill her and Agamemnon, as she was ought to do, but Agamemnon didn't listen, as everyone else was ought to do. Clytemnestra then murdered him and Cassandra while he was taking a bath with an axe.

## Legends Summarized

### The Trojan War

When Tyndareus was selecting a suitable husband for his daughter Helen, he selected Menelaus, who was being represented in absentia by Agamemnon. Years later, when Helen was kidnapped by Paris, Agamemnon and Menelaus went out to muster the armies of Helen's suitors along with Achilles who wanted to go for the glory of death in battle. Odysseus pretended to go mad to avoid having to go fight, but Agamemnon threatened his son causing Odysseus to give up and go along.

It is then mentioned that Agamemnon had to sacrifice Iphigenia to get the winds to blow with the added detail that they weren't blowing because he pissed off Artemis.

As in the Iliad, Agamemnon doesn't give up Chryseis, causing a plague, and he only gives her up once he takes Briseis from Achilles.

## Miscellaneous Myths

### Tantalus

It is stated that Tantalus's son Pelops fathered the house of Atreus, which eventually produced Agamemnon; Red believes this to just be another crime, although not the worst, added to Tantalus's rap sheet

## Physical Appearance

Agamemnon has grey hair and black eyes. He has a beard and is usually wearing a helmet with a plume on it.

## Appearances

* Iphigenia
* The Iliad
* The Oresteia
* The Trojan War
* Tantalus

## Links

* Classics Summarized: Iphigenia
* Classics Summarized: The Iliad
* Classics Summarized: The Oresteia
* Legends Summarized: The Trojan War
* Miscellaneous Myths: Tantalus