(including. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Aegisthus appears in, ...ambitious and arrogant. Agamemnon's cousin, and Clytemnestra's lover. He appears on stage only briefly, and behaves arrogantly. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Aegisthus and Agamemnon’s fathers were brothers. Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy, but when she refused to bear him a child, he punished her by making all around her disbelieve her predictions. In Agamemnon …Agamemnon landed in Argolis, where Aegisthus had, in the interval, seduced Clytemnestra. An ardent patriot, he is ecstatic to see the home he thought he had left forever and provides vivid descriptions of the horrors of the war against Troy. The pair treacherously carried out the murders of Agamemnon, his comrades, and Cassandra. Agamemnon's father boiled two of his rival's children--Aegisthus' brothers--and served them to him for dinner. Agamemnon's cousin, and Clytemnestra's lover. Agamemnon's father boiled two of his rival's children--Aegisthus' brothers--and served them to him for dinner. Agamemnon’s father Atreus killed several of Aegisthus’ brothers and fed them to their father Thyestes. Aegisthus. The murder was avenged by Orestes, who returned… Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes and Thyestes' own daughter Pelopia, an incestuous union motivated by his father's rivalry with the house of Atreus for the throne of Mycenae. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. During the ten-year conflict, his Queen has plotted his death in order to avenge the killing of their daughter. A Trojan priestess, captured by Agamemnon and carried to Argos as his slave and mistress. Teachers and parents! Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. His father and Agamemnon's father were rivals for the throne. Since that time, Aegisthus has been in exile awaiting a chance to seek revenge for the terrible crime. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The elder citizens of Argos, who were too old to fight in the Trojan War. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. He goes to his death unaware of his fate. In Agamemnon, by the Greek poet and dramatist Aeschylus, however, Clytemnestra was made to do the killing. After Clytemnestra murders Agamemnon, Aegisthus justifies his involvement by saying that the murder of Agamemnon also avenges Atreus’s crime against Aegisthus’s family. She sees the ancestral curse afflicting Agamemnon's family, and predicts both his death and her own, as well as the vengeance brought by Orestes in the next play. The Watchman The King of Argos, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the commander of the Greek armies during the siege of Troy. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Unfazed, Clytemnestra interrupts them and goes on to reveal that Agamemnon’s cousin, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. She was Apollo's lover. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." She is, a sympathetic character in many respects, but the righteousness of her crime is tainted by her entanglement with Aegisthus. LitCharts Teacher Editions. He brings the Chorus news of Agamemnon's safe homecoming. A great warrior, he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to obtain a favorable wind to carry the Greek fleet to Troy. His father and Agamemnon's father were rivals for the throne. Agamemnon is the older brother of Menelaus, whose wife Helen was stolen by a Trojan prince, thus igniting a decade-long war. The play's protagonist, Clytemnestra is Agamemnon's wife and has ruled Argos in his absence. He is joyful at his king's return, but also is gripped with a sense of foreboding. The man assigned to watch for the signal of Troy's fall from the roof of the palace. They serve as advisors to Queen Clytemnestra during Agamemnon's absence, and provide commentary on the action of the play. Since that time, Aegisthus has been in exile awaiting a chance to seek revenge for the terrible crime. Even so, Aeschylus makes it clear that Agamemnon's death must be avenged. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. Instant downloads of all 1368 LitChart PDFs She plans his murder with ruthless determination, and feels no guilt after his death; she is convinced of her own rectitude and of the justice of killing the man who killed her daughter. Aegisthus murdered Atreus in order to restore his father to power, ruling jointly with him only to be driven from power by Atreus' son Agamemnon. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Our. In other version, Aegisthus was the sole surviving son of Thyestes after Atreus killed his brother's children and served them to Thyestes in a meal. Their speeches provide the background for the action, for they foreshadow the King's death when they describe the events of the Trojan War and discuss the dangers of human pride.