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Character analysis · slain king whose ghost Odysseus meets

Agamemnon

in The Odyssey by Homer

Agamemnon, son of Atreus and king of men, commands the Achaean forces at Troy, and his fate looms large over the Odyssey, starkly contrasting Ulysses's own journey home. Though he never appears in the poem's living world, Agamemnon stands as a cautionary figure — a hero whose return was marked not by triumph but by betrayal. Lured to a feast by Aegisthus, who seduced his wife Clytemnestra during his absence, Agamemnon was brutally murdered like a fat beast in a slaughterhouse, surrounded by the deaths of his comrades, and he was denied even the dignity of having his eyes and lips closed as he died. His ghost, encountered by Ulysses in the house of Hades, is filled with bitterness, grief, and shame over Clytemnestra's actions. This bitterness drives him to share a sweeping, misogynistic lesson, warning Ulysses to be cautious of women and to return home quietly. Yet, he also shows a capacity for generous praise: in the underworld, he commends Penelope's loyalty, contrasting it with his wife's treachery, and he honors Achilles' glorious death, which he sees as far better than his own miserable fate. His story — ultimately avenged by his son Orestes — repeatedly highlights both the dangers that returning heroes face and the respect a son owes to his father.

About this character

Role
slain king whose ghost Odysseus meets
Form
Novel
Author
Homer
First published
c. 800 BCE

The person01–03

01·Who they are

Who is Agamemnon?

Agamemnon is introduced in Book I as the king whose murder at the hands of Aegisthus serves as a cautionary tale Zeus recounts on Olympus. Zeus highlights that Aegisthus killed Agamemnon despite divine warnings and that Orestes eventually avenged his father. Known as the "son of Atreus," he led the Achaeans during the Trojan War and became immensely famous—Ulysses even mentions him before the Cyclops, describing him as a figure of infinite renown for conquering a great city and causing many deaths. However, in the present context of the poem, he exists solely as a ghost and a warning.

02·Arc & motivation

What is Agamemnon's arc and motivation?

Agamemnon doesn't undergo an arc in the poem's active narrative; his story is already complete. His appearances are fueled by grief, shame, and a wish to warn others. In Hades, he weeps, reaches out toward Ulysses in desperation, and expresses the humiliation surrounding his death. As a ghost, his main goal is to prevent Ulysses from suffering the same fate: he advises caution on the return journey and mistrust of women. By Book XXIV, his bitterness transforms into a philosophical reflection, contrasting his own tragic end with the glorious death of Achilles and the loyalty of Penelope.

03·Key moments

What are Agamemnon's key moments?

  • Book I: Zeus uses Agamemnon's murder as an initial example of human folly that leads to deserved punishment—Aegisthus ignored divine warnings and faced fatal consequences.
  • Book XI: Agamemnon's ghost encounters Ulysses in Hades, vividly recounting the murder—including Cassandra's screams and Clytemnestra's refusal to close his eyes—while warning about women and the need for secrecy.
  • Book XXIV: Agamemnon's ghost speaks with Achilles', contrasting Achilles' glorious death at Troy with his own sad fate; he then engages with the dead suitors, learns the full story of Ulysses' revenge, and gives his final commendation to Penelope.

The cast04–05

04·Relationships

What are Agamemnon's most important relationships?

Agamemnon's relationship with Ulysses is the most dramatically significant: they are comrades linked by their service at Troy, and in Hades, Agamemnon treats Ulysses as a confidant and an equal, offering warnings based on his bitter past. His relationship with Clytemnestra (who does not appear in the cast but is central to his narrative) entirely shapes his ghost—her betrayal is a wound he cannot stop revisiting. He explicitly contrasts her with Penelope, praising her faithfulness as worthy of immortal song. His bond with Menelaus is fraternal but strained: the brothers had conflicts during the war, and Menelaus's absence at sea allowed the murder to occur. Nestor serves as the primary narrator of Agamemnon's fate to Telemachus, depicting Orestes' revenge as the standard for what a son should aspire to.

05·Connected characters

How is Agamemnon connected to the other characters?

Odysseus

Agamemnon was Ulysses's commander at Troy; his ghost meets Ulysses in Hades, warns him against trusting women, and later praises him for the faithfulness of Penelope.

Menelaus

Agamemnon's brother; the two quarrelled at Troy over whether to sail home immediately, and Menelaus was absent at sea when Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon.

Nestor

Nestor recounts in detail how Aegisthus plotted and carried out Agamemnon's murder, presenting the story as a cautionary tale for Telemachus.

Telemachus

Agamemnon's fate is held up to Telemachus as both a warning and an inspiration — the contrast between Orestes' filial vengeance and Telemachus's own situation is made explicit.

Penelope

Agamemnon's ghost explicitly contrasts Penelope's faithful excellence with the wickedness of his own wife Clytemnestra, praising Penelope as deserving of immortal fame.

Study06–07

06·Questions

Questions readers ask about Agamemnon

How did Agamemnon die?

Aegisthus invited him to a feast and then killed him there, as if he were a fat beast in a slaughterhouse. All of Agamemnon's companions were slaughtered alongside him in the cloisters, and Clytemnestra killed Cassandra right beside him. Agamemnon raised his hands to strike at his murderers but was too weak, and Clytemnestra wouldn't even close his eyes or lips as he took his last breath.

Why was Agamemnon unable to defend himself?

Aegisthus carefully plotted his plan: he set a watchman for a year to keep an eye out for Agamemnon's return, then hid twenty warriors in ambush and organized a feast as a trap. When Agamemnon came back, completely unaware of the danger that awaited him, he was killed after the meal ended.

What warning does Agamemnon give Odysseus in the underworld?

He advises Odysseus to be careful, even around his wife, suggesting he reveal only some of what he knows. He stresses the need to return to Ithaca quietly, warning that after everything, women can't be trusted. He also asks about his son Orestes.

What does Agamemnon say about Penelope?

In Book XXIV, after hearing the dead suitors talk about how Penelope's loyalty played a role in Ulysses's revenge, Agamemnon's ghost calls Ulysses "indeed blessed" for having such a wife. He claims that her virtuous fame will live on forever and that the gods will create a song in her honour, starkly contrasting her with the betrayal of Clytemnestra.

Why is Agamemnon's story told so often in the poem?

His fate is a recurring warning and a model. Zeus mentions it in Book I to illustrate human folly; Nestor references it in Book III to encourage Telemachus to follow Orestes; Odysseus brings it up in Book XIII, telling Athena that without her warning he would have met the same end; and the ghost himself refers to it in Books XI and XXIV to advise caution and to compare different types of heroic fate.

What role does Orestes play in relation to Agamemnon?

Orestes avenged his father's death by killing Aegisthus—and, as Nestor tells us, he also killed Clytemnestra—after coming back from Athens in the eighth year of Aegisthus's reign. This act is presented throughout the poem as the rightful response of a son to his father's murder, serving as a model that Telemachus is encouraged to emulate.

How does Agamemnon's ghost react to hearing about the slain suitors in Book XXIV?

He is astonished to see so many impressive young men in Hades and asks Amphimedon how they met their fates. He listens intently to the tale of Penelope's clever weaving trick and Ulysses's revenge. He praises Ulysses's fortune in having Penelope and contrasts her renown with the lasting shame of Clytemnestra.

07·Essay angles

Use this in your essay

Tool · Essay angles

  • Agamemnon as foil to Ulysses

    How does Agamemnon's fate shape Ulysses' strategy upon returning to Ithaca, and what does this contrast reveal about the poem's values of cunning over open heroism?

  • The Orestes parallel

    The poem consistently frames Orestes' vengeance as a model for Telemachus—what implications does this parallel have for notions of filial duty and the limitations of that model?

  • Agamemnon's misogyny and its narrative function

    His broad condemnation of women following Clytemnestra's betrayal is immediately contrasted with his praise of Penelope—how does the poem use his bitterness to complicate rather than endorse his generalization?

  • Glory versus shame in death

    Agamemnon's comparison of his own ending with Achilles' death at Troy raises questions about what constitutes a "good" heroic death in the value system of the Odyssey.

  • The ghost as warning

    Agamemnon appears in Hades not as a tragic figure seeking justice but as an adviser—what does this role suggest about how the poem employs the dead to guide the living?

The Odyssey

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