Today the name of Agamemnon is not a particularly famous one but in ancient Greece he was a figure that appeared in a number of important works, including Homer’s Iliad.

It is not certain whether the figure of Agamemnon was based on a true historical figure or was simply a creation in works of fiction, although it is certain that the “Mask of Agamemnon” discovered by Heinrich Schliemann has nothing to do with the Greek figure. In tales from Greek mythology though, Agamemnon was said to be a prince, and subsequently then king of Mycenae; the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, and therefore brother to Menelaus.

Greek writers often portrayed the fact that Agamemnon was doomed from birth; his ancestors included the cursed Tantalos and Pelops. More importantly though was the fact that Atreus had killed his brother’s (Thyestes) own children and then fed them to his own brother upon discovering the fact that Thyestes had slept with Aerope. A blood feud now existed and another son of Thyestes, Aegisthus, killed Atreus and placed his father on the throne of Mycenae, forcing Agamemnon and Menelaus to flee.

Agamemnon, along with his brother, would eventually end up in the court of King Tyndareus of Sparta, and there planned their return to Mycenae. Whilst in Tyndareus’ household, Agamemnon would marry the king’s daughter, Clytemnestra, whilst Menelaus would be the successful suitor of Helen. With their father-in-law’s help, Agamemnon would take the throne of Mycenae, and Menelaus would eventually succeed his father-in-law to the throne of Sparta.

As king of Mycenae, Agamemnon prospered, and through conquest enlarged the boundaries of his realm, until he was the most powerful of all kings in Ancient Greece. Agamemnon’s household was also growing, as the king was now the father of three daughters, Iphigenia, Electra and Chrysothemis, and one son, Orestes.

The good life though was brought to a halt when Helen, Menelaus’ wife was abducted by the Trojan prince, Paris. As Agamemnon was not a suitor of Helen he was not bound by the Oath of Tyndareus, but he had a blood bond with his brother, and so like the suitors assembled a force to return his brother’s wife.

As the most powerful of kings, Agamemnon was selected as supreme commander of the Achaean forces, and at the first gathering of ships at Aulis, Agamemnon, according to Homer, brought 100 ships of Mycenaean troops.

Agamemnon though had angered the goddess Artemis by proclaiming not even the goddess could have done better when it came to the dispatching of a deer during a hunt. Subsequently the winds would not blow to transport the ships to Troy. Calchas, the Greek prophet, proclaimed that only by sacrificing his own daughter, Iphigenia, could Agamemnon appease Artemis.

Sources are divided about how willing Agamemnon was to undertake such a sacrifice, some say that the king was going to call off the expedition to Troy to avoid making the sacrifice, whilst other sources say that Agamemnon was willing to fulfil his role as supreme ruler.

No matter how willing Agamemnon was Clytemnestra was not going to willingly sacrifice her daughter, but Agamemnon tricked his wife by suggesting that Iphigenia was to be married to Achilles. Again there is a difference of opinion about whether Iphigenia was actually sacrificed, although most suggest that Artemis rescued her before the event; but after the event the winds blew, and the Achaean trips could depart Aulis.

In the Iliad, Agamemnon is not portrayed as a particularly great leader of men, although he was heroic in his own right; Agamemnon was said to have killed 16 of the Trojan heroes. Agamemnon though is more famous for his arguments with others in the Achaean camp, and in particular an argument with Achilles.

Achilles had taken the beautiful Briseis as prize when he sacked Lyrnessus, but Agamemnon when forced to give up one of his own prizes, took Briseis for himself. Achilles subsequently refused to fight again for the Greeks, a decision that almost cost the Achaeans the war. Achilles and Agamemnon are normally said to be equally to blame in this instance.

Homer’s Iliad finishes before the fall of Troy, and the story is taken up in the Little Iliad and the Iliupersis (the Sack of Ilium), although neither epic now survives intact. Ultimately the fall of Troy comes about when the Achaeans build a wooden horse, and then secrete most of the surviving heroes inside. Agamemnon sails away with the fleet to fool the Trojans, but returns when the gates fall. The sacking of Troy angers many of the gods of Mount Olympus, and although Agamemnon is not named as committing any great crime or form of sacrilege, he is held responsible by Athena at least. After the fall of Troy, Agamemnon makes several sacrifices, this time of animals, in order to appease the gods.

Arguably Agamemnon is most famous for events after the Trojan War, and in particular is famous for his death. His death is briefly told of by Homer in the Odyssey, but is recounted in greater detail by Sophocles in Electra and by Aeschylus in the Oresteia.

None of the Greek heroes had an easy return journey from Troy, after the destruction and sacrilege undertaken during the sacking of the city, but Agamemnon made a relatively rapid return to Mycenae. Agamemnon was accompanied by his new concubine, the Trojan prophetess, Cassandra. Clytemnestra had taken a lover, Aegisthus, the son of Thyestes, and upon Agamemnon’s return, the king and all of his companions were killed. Whether the killing was done by Aegisthus or Clytemnestra or both depends on the source being read, but both felt they had justified reason. Aegisthus’s father had been killed by Agamemnon’s father, whilst Clytemnestra’s daughter had been sacrificed by her husband.

The ghost of Agamemnon is subsequently encountered by Odysseus in the underworld, but it is left to Orestes to avenge his father, which becomes the central element of the Oresteia. 

The story of Agamemnon could be classed as a Greek tragedy, and in antiquity his actions would not have been enough to justify his death, although today sacrificing his daughter would be unthinkable.