CLYTEMNESTRA

 Greek Daughter of Tyndareus, king of SPARTA, and of LEDA, sister of HELEN and CASTOR AND POLLUX. Clytemnestra was the mother of Chrysothemis, IPHIGENIA, ELECTRA, and ORESTES.

Clytemnestra married AGAMEMNON, king of ARGOS and MYCENAE, of the accursed house of PELOPS. When Agamemnon went to the TROJAN WAR as commander of the Greek forces, Clytemnestra became the lover of AEGISTHUS, another descendant of Pelops. Clytem-nestra hated Agamemnon, for he had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to ARTEMIS, and to the wind god, AEOLUS, in order to get fair winds for the Greek fleet to sail to TROY and many years of war.

When the victorious Agamemnon returned from Troy, he brought with him Princess CASSANDRA as one of the spoils of war. He and Cassandra were murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, who were themselves murdered by Electra and Orestes.

Although Clytemnestra has little mythology of her own, she is a major tragic figure in the plays of AESCHYLUS, SOPHOCLES, and EURIPIDES.