Agamemnon, the king of Argos, is returning victorious from the Trojan War. He expects a glorious homecoming, and the people--especially his wife Clytemnestra--are relieved that he is home. However, Clytemnestra is holding murderous vengeance in her heart. Before Agamemnon left for Troy, he sacrificed his daughter for favorable sailing winds. Ever since, Clytemnestra has plotted her husband’s demise, and takes the opportunity to execute both Agamemnon and the innocent Cassandra, whom Agamemnon brought with him as a prisoner of war. Originally presented at the City Dionysia in 458 BCE, this first play of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia trilogy continues the dark blood cycle of vengeance of mythology’s cruelest family.
Agamemnon guide sections
