Agamemnon
Scholars have debated the meaning of Agamemnon for centuries. One theory suggests the name means very steadfast or unbowed. This interpretation relies on a compound word combining elements meaning very much and to stay or stand fast. Another view proposes the name developed from an unattested form meaning very mindful. A third proposal derives the second part from a root meaning to be inclined or to strive eagerly. Linguist Václav Blažek connects the name to Vedic Sanskrit Agni based on etymological and functional bases. These linguistic puzzles reveal how ancient names carried weight beyond simple labels.
Agamemnon descended from Pelops, son of Tantalus. His father Atreus murdered the sons of his twin brother Thyestes. He fed those children to Thyestes after discovering Thyestes' adultery with Aerope. Thyestes fathered Aegisthus with his own daughter Pelopia. That son vowed gruesome revenge on Atreus' children. Aegisthus murdered Atreus and restored Thyestes to the throne. During this period, Agamemnon and Menelaus took refuge with Tyndareus, King of Sparta. Misfortune hounded successive generations of the House of Atreus until Orestes atoned for it in a court of justice held jointly by humans and gods.
Preparing to depart from Aulis, a port in Boeotia, Agamemnon's army incurred the wrath of Artemis. The prophet Calchas announced that the goddess's wrath could only be propitiated by sacrificing Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. Some versions claim she was tricked into believing she would marry Achilles before her death. Her death appeased Artemis and allowed the Greek army to set out for Troy. Other sources say Artemis accepted a deer in her place and whisked her away to Tauris in the Crimean Peninsula. Hesiod claimed she became the goddess Hecate after her death.
In Book One of the Iliad, Chryseis, daughter of Apollo's priest Chryses, was taken as a war prize by Agamemnon. Chryses pleaded for his daughter but met little success. Apollo responded by unleashing a plague over the Achaean army. Agamemnon reluctantly agreed to return Chryseis but demanded a new prize from the army. He seized Achilles' captive Briseis as compensation. This created deadly resentment between Achilles and Agamemnon. Achilles withdrew from battle and refused to fight. Agamemnon later sent ambassadors begging for Achilles to return, offering riches and his daughter's hand in marriage. Achilles remained unmoved until Patroclus died in battle.
Agamemnon and Cassandra landed in Argolis after a stormy voyage. Clytemnestra had taken Aegisthus, son of Thyestes, as a lover. When Agamemnon came home he was slain by Aegisthus in older versions or by Clytemnestra alone in others. According to Pindar and tragedians, Agamemnon was killed in a bath by his wife. She ensnared him with a blanket or net thrown over him to prevent resistance. Her motivations included wrath at the sacrifice of Iphigenia and jealousy of Cassandra. Aegisthus and Clytemnestra then ruled Agamemnon's kingdom for a time before Orestes avenged his father's murder.
The fortunes of Agamemnon formed the subject of numerous tragedies ancient and modern. The most famous being the Oresteia of Aeschylus. In Sparta he was worshipped under the title Zeus Agamemnon. His tomb was pointed out among ruins of Mycenae and at Amyclae. He appears in William Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida set during the Trojan War. Representations of Zeus king of gods resemble depictions of Agamemnon king of men. He is generally depicted with a sceptre and diadem as conventional attributes of kings. These works preserved his story through centuries of cultural transmission.
Heinrich Schliemann discovered the Mask of Agamemnon in 1876. It now resides on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The mask bears considerable resemblance to representations of Zeus found throughout Greek art. Pausanias noted that Agamemnon's tomb could be seen among ruins of Mycenae. Artists like Louis Desprez created works titled The Tomb of Agamemnon displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Frederic Leighton painted Electra at the Tomb of Agamemnon for the Ferens Art Gallery in Kingston upon Hull. These artifacts connect legendary figures to tangible historical evidence from the Bronze Age.
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Common questions
What does the name Agamemnon mean in Greek mythology?
One theory suggests the name means very steadfast or unbowed based on a compound word combining elements meaning very much and to stay or stand fast. Another view proposes the name developed from an unattested form meaning very mindful while a third proposal derives the second part from a root meaning to be inclined or to strive eagerly.
Who were the parents of Agamemnon in Greek myth?
Agamemnon descended from Pelops son of Tantalus with his father being Atreus who murdered the sons of his twin brother Thyestes. This family line included Thyestes' daughter Pelopia who bore Aegisthus to vow gruesome revenge on Atreus children.
Why did Artemis demand the sacrifice of Iphigenia before the Trojan War?
Preparing to depart from Aulis a port in Boeotia Agamemnon's army incurred the wrath of Artemis which could only be propitiated by sacrificing Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. Some versions claim she was tricked into believing she would marry Achilles before her death while other sources say Artemis accepted a deer in her place and whisked her away to Tauris in the Crimean Peninsula.
How did Agamemnon die according to ancient tragedies?
According to Pindar and tragedians Agamemnon was killed in a bath by his wife Clytemnestra who ensnared him with a blanket or net thrown over him to prevent resistance. Her motivations included wrath at the sacrifice of Iphigenia and jealousy of Cassandra before Aegisthus and Clytemnestra ruled Agamemnon's kingdom for a time.
Where is the Mask of Agamemnon currently located after its discovery?
Heinrich Schliemann discovered the Mask of Agamemnon in 1876 and it now resides on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The mask bears considerable resemblance to representations of Zeus found throughout Greek art and connects legendary figures to tangible historical evidence from the Bronze Age.
All sources
24 references cited across the entry
- 1inlineHomer, Iliad 9.145.
- 2encyclopediaArgosDavid Leeming — Oxford University Press — 2005
- 3bookThe Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive EditionRobert Graves — Penguin Books — 2017
- 4bookStudies in Greek LexicographyVáclav Blažek — De Gruyter — 2019
- 5bookEtymological Dictionary of GreekR. S. P. Beekes — Brill — 2010
- 9webIphigenia in Aulis, lines 1148-1152Euripides — Poetry in Translation
- 10webChiliades 1.18 line 463-465John Tzetzes — Theoi Classical Texts Library
- 11webAPOLLODORUS, THE LIBRARY EPITOMETheoi Classical Texts Library
- 13inlineHyginus, Fabulae 114 .
- 15inlineAeschylus, Agamemnon 13811385 .
- 16bookThe OdysseyHomer — Barnes & Noble — 2003
- 17webIs Clytemnestra an Archetypically Bad Wife or a Heroically Avenging Mother?Natalie Haynes — Literary Hub — 28 March 2022
- 18inlineAeschylus, Agamemnon, 1602.
- 22webArgynnusCharlton T. Lewis — Perseus Project
- 25inlineHomer, Odyssey, 11.385–465 .