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Clytemnestra

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The mythological queen of Mycenae who killed her husband Agamemnon upon his return from Troy, often symbolizing vengeance and marital betrayal.

Detailed Definition
Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon upon his return from Troy, avenging his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia. Her act sparked a cycle of vengeance ending with her son Orestes’ trial. In poetry, she embodies female rage, justice turned to vengeance, and the subversion of traditional gender roles in power and retribution.
Example
Example in poetry:
Clytemnestra murders Agamemnon upon his return in Aeschylus’s Oresteia, driven by vengeance for Iphigenia; In Homer’s Odyssey, her treachery is recounted as a cautionary tale; Euripides portrays her complexity in Electra and Orestes; Seneca’s Agamemnon dramatizes her ruthless ambition; Romantic poets depict Clytemnestra as a figure of maternal rage; Modern feminist verse reinterprets Clytemnestra as a victim turned avenger.
Additional Notes
Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, murdered him upon his return from Troy—her act (motivated by Iphigenia’s sacrifice) complicates gender, justice, and revenge; Aeschylus portrays her as both avenger and transgressor—essential for exploring moral ambiguity, female agency, and cyclical violence in tragic poetry.
Also Known As
Queen of Mycenae Avenger and Murderess Klytaimnēstra
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