In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the Greek king who led the expedition against Troy after Helen’s abduction.
Agamemnon was king of Mycenae and the elder brother of Menelaus, Helen’s husband. When Paris took Helen to Troy, the Greek rulers assembled an expedition to recover her and avenge the insult. Menelaus had the personal grievance, but Agamemnon possessed the authority and resources to command the coalition.
The Iliad presents Agamemnon as the expedition’s leading commander, although it also portrays serious tensions between him and other heroes, especially Achilles. Their quarrel over Briseis is the poem’s major opening conflict.
Agamemnon’s story continues after the war in Greek tragedy. On returning home, he is murdered by Clytemnestra and her ally Aegisthus. That later episode is separate from his battlefield command at Troy.