Aegisthus

Greek mythology

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July 23, 2026

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Aegisthus was a figure in Greek mythology, central to the tragic saga of the House of Atreus. He was the son of Thyestes and Pelopia, though Atreus, Thyestes's brother, believed Aegisthus to be his own son. Aegisthus's story is intertwined with betrayal and revenge. He became the lover of Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War.123

Driven by a desire for vengeance against Agamemnon and aided by Clytemnestra, Aegisthus conspired to murder Agamemnon upon his return from Troy. Together, they killed Agamemnon, and Aegisthus then seized the throne of Mycenae, ruling alongside Clytemnestra for seven years. This act of regicide and adultery ultimately led to their demise, as Agamemnon's son, Orestes, avenged his father's death by killing both Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.245

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Agamemnon
Agamemnon’s murder
They landed in Argolis, where Aegisthus had, in the interval, seduced Clytemnestra. The pair treacherously carried out the murders of Agamemnon, his comrades, and Cassandra. In Agamemnon (458 bce), by the Greek poet and dramatist Aeschylus, however, Agamemnon was killed by Clytemnestra, as revenge for the death of Iphigeneia. The…
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They landed in Argolis, where Aegisthus had, in the interval, seduced Clytemnestra. The pair treacherously carried out the murders of Agamemnon, his comrades, and Cassandra. In Agamemnon (458 bce), by the Greek poet and dramatist Aeschylus, however, Agamemnon was killed by Clytemnestra, as revenge for the death of Iphigeneia. The…
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Clytemnestra
The murder of Agamemnon
…the interval Clytemnestra had become Aegisthus’s lover, and the pair conspired to murder Agamemnon on his return. They laid out a path of red (or purple) material for Agamemnon to walk on when he landed in Argolis—this early reference to a special walkway has led to popular conjecture that it…
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…the interval Clytemnestra had become Aegisthus’s lover, and the pair conspired to murder Agamemnon on his return. They laid out a path of red (or purple) material for Agamemnon to walk on when he landed in Argolis—this early reference to a special walkway has led to popular conjecture that it…
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Orestes
…death at the hands of Aegisthus, his wife’s lover. On reaching manhood, Orestes avenged his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.
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…death at the hands of Aegisthus, his wife’s lover. On reaching manhood, Orestes avenged his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.
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