Utena reviewed A Spartan's Sorrow by Hannah Lynn
Clytemnestra's story is a cautionary tale of the consequences of betrayal, revenge, and violence.
5 stars
Overshadowed by her sister, Helen of Troy, and the Trojan War, Clytemnestra's story was tragic, filled with betrayal, revenge, and bloodshed - the daughter of King Tyndareus of Sparta and Leda, and the sister of the beautiful Helen. While her first marriage ended in the murder of her husband and son, her second marriage to Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, was tumultuous.
When Agamemnon sacrifices their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to appease the Goddess Artemis for a slight he has done, Clytemnestra takes her daughter's body back, vows revenge against her husband, and returns home refusing to allow her children from her sight.
Clytemnestra's resentment towards Agamemnon only grows when he returns from the Trojan War with his concubine, Cassandra, by his side. Consumed by rage and a thirst for vengeance, she plots with her lover, Aegisthus, to kill Agamemnon upon his return. Together, they murder the king in his bath, …
Overshadowed by her sister, Helen of Troy, and the Trojan War, Clytemnestra's story was tragic, filled with betrayal, revenge, and bloodshed - the daughter of King Tyndareus of Sparta and Leda, and the sister of the beautiful Helen. While her first marriage ended in the murder of her husband and son, her second marriage to Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, was tumultuous.
When Agamemnon sacrifices their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to appease the Goddess Artemis for a slight he has done, Clytemnestra takes her daughter's body back, vows revenge against her husband, and returns home refusing to allow her children from her sight.
Clytemnestra's resentment towards Agamemnon only grows when he returns from the Trojan War with his concubine, Cassandra, by his side. Consumed by rage and a thirst for vengeance, she plots with her lover, Aegisthus, to kill Agamemnon upon his return. Together, they murder the king in his bath, fulfilling the prophecy that Clytemnestra's son, Orestes, would avenge his father's death.
Orestes, guided by the god Apollo, ultimately does carry out his revenge, killing both his mother and Aegisthus to avenge his father's death. However, the act leaves Orestes tormented by guilt and pursued by the Furies, driving him to madness until he is finally absolved of his crimes in the court of Athena in Athens.
Clytemnestra's story is a cautionary tale of the consequences of betrayal, revenge, and violence, showing the destructive power of unchecked emotions and the cyclical nature of bloodshed within Greek tragedies.
Hannah Lynn has weaved a captivating tale of a woman often overshadowed by her sister in mythology - a tale of betrayal, revenge, and actions leading to her demise. Ms Lynn's unique ability to draw in her readers with her vivid descriptions and complex characters makes this retelling of Clytemnestra's myth a must-read for fans of Greek mythology.
