Agamemnon is known as the King and of Mycenae and is famous for being a leader in the Trojan War for the Greek Army while trying to rescue his sister in law, Helen. That story is widely popular for the trickery of the Greeks when “gifting" a gigantic, hollow horse filled with warriors to the Trojans. Another Myth that Agamemnon is involved in is the story surrounding his death. The overall take away of the story was that Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, and her lover while her husband was overseas fighting in the Trojan War, Aegisthus had murdered him mercilessly out of vengeance for the wrong that Agamemnon brought upon them. Throughout the world-known novel The Odyssey by Horner, this particular myth is told multiple times, each a slightly different version of another. Each of these minor differences and perspectives from which they are told hold value and were not done without reason. In the essay, I will discuss several of the different variations of the myth of Agamemnon's death and what the meaning behind the changes mean and the purpose of why they are there.

Agamemnon's death is first mentioned and told by Zeus to other Gods in the first chapter, Athena Inspires the Prince. He focuses on the fact that Aegisthus was told not to do many things and was only actually instructed to protect Clytemnestra while Agamemnon was away. Yet the two ended up having an affair, to which said that Aegisthus plotted and ended up killing Agamemnon, which is different from other versions that say they planned the murder together or was soley his wife. In the first half, Zeus does not give many details only speaking of how they had created the chaos themselves. He does this to point out to the other Gods how reckless humans are, while people blame the gods for their afflictions when really he uses Agamemnon's death as an example to how they are their own destruction and responsible for their own miseries.

The tale of his death is also mentioned in Book Three: King Nestor Remembers. This time the story is told by Nestor to Telemachos who is visiting, trying to figure out information on his father. Agamemnon was arguing with his brother Menelaus on whether they should stay in Troy or leave for home which led to Nestor describing Telemachos father’s unfortunate death.

Nestor tells of Aegisthus' attempt at "luring" and "enticing" Clytemnestra with talk, but she remained faithful to her husband until Agamemnon "gave strict commands to guard his wife" and left for the battle at Troy. After that point "he swept her off to his own house, lover lusting for lover."(116, line 310).  Nestor seemed to describe that Agamemnon was "thoughtless" and his death was partially his own fault for being careless. This version that Nestor told was probably the most straightforward and unbiased story of Agamemnon's death. He stated how Aegisthus was the one that "hatched the king's horrendous death," and the Orestes got revenge by murdering his father’s killer later on. The purpose of this mention of the myth was to simply lay out what the story was of the situation so that the readers had a base understanding when referenced later on.

Another time when the myth of Agamemnon's death is mentioned is in Book 11: The Kingdom of the Dead . In this situation, Agamemnon's ghost is actually the one telling the story to Odysseus when he visits the Underworld. When telling it to Odysseus, he talks of how Clytemnestra was unfaithful, weak and cheated on him with another man, and how she was merciless as his murderer. This is different as in other versions it is said that Aegisthus was the main killer in his murder at a banquet and Clytemnestra was not apart of it. He speaks of his situation, adding the key statements like “What a monstrous thing she plotted, slaughtered her own lawful husband!" (263, 486-487), "so even your own wife -- never indulge her too far" (263, 500) and "the time for trusting women is forever gone!" (264, line 518), to serve as a warning for Odysseus for his own wife, Penelope, for when he returns home to her, and to proceed with caution so he does not end in a similar situation. The purpose of mentioning the story of Agamemnon's death was for Odysseus to be careful not to be tricked or fall into any traps as Agamemnon once did when he returned from being away from his wife and home.

Finally at the end of Homer's The Odyssey in Book 24: Peace, the tale of Agamemnon's death is mentioned for the last time. The suitors' ghosts have appeared to join in the Underworld, where Agamemnon's ghost is the one speaking so fondly of Odysseus' wife, Penelope, as she remained loyal to her husband compared to his wife who had an adulterous affair and assisted in his murder. He stated "what a fine, faithful wife you have won!" (474, line 212), and "The immortal gods will lift a song for all mankind, a glorious song in praise of self-possessed Penelope ...Clytemnestra-- what outrage she committed, killing the man she married once! --­ yes and the song men sing of her will ring with loathing.." (474, lines 217-221). Agamemnon's ghost applauds Odysseus for his choice in a wife and praises Penelope for her remain in loyalty, to which his wife could not provide. The purpose of highlighting this is to show the importance of loyalty throughout the entire novel as a very well respected characteristic, to which unfortunately Agamemnon's wife did not possess.

Throughout Homer's The Odyssey, the myth of Agamemnon's death was clearly mentioned multiple times in the story. Each time the tale was brought up, it served different purposes to get intended ideas or points across to the reader that were important in those specific sections. As discussed, these included the emphasis on the recklessness of humans, a warning to Odysseus, and the value and appreciation of loyalty. The myth provided many purposes and overall helped each story-teller get their point across to the readers, which held great significance in each story being told in the book.