And so, the Queen Clytemnestra hath seized power in
Mycannae, the greatest city of Greece, and she hath installed her lover
Aegisthus, that creature of incest, on its throne and imprisoned her own
daughter Elektra. Is this the deed of the woman who said he loved her daughter
Iphigenia? And in truth, Iphigenia was the kinder of the two, but I still think
that Clytemnestra was a vile woman. Before she was imprisoned however, Elektra
managed to help her brother Orestes flee.
My nephew Prince Orestes arrived in Sparta not many days
later. I vowed to help him take back the throne of Mycannae, even though the
Spartan army was much too small. It was at this time that he met my daughter
Hermione and fell in love with her. For who could resist the daughter of Helen?
She may not have her mother’s charm of a goddess, but it was more than a mortal
prince could resist.
And though I was fond of Orestes, the brave young boy and
son of the brother I respected much, Hermione was already betrothed to
Neoptolemus Pyrrhus, son of Achilles and king of Thesally. A king’s word is his
bond, and I could not go back on the promise I hath made to Neoptolemus, even
though I was much angered that he took the wife of Hector, Andromache, for
himself and dishonored her.
But at that time, there were greater things to worry about.
In fact, up against the Mycannean power, Orestes may not even last, so I put
these thoughts behind me.
But a hegemon’s son is bound to be a hegemon too. And so,
Orestes asked that we set upon Mycannae and bring war to its doorsteps. I spoke
to my Spartan officers, “Men of Sparta, I may not be born in this city, but I
am your king. I am Spartan and proud to be one, but you need not follow me to
Mycannae. Aegisthus is now the most powerful king of the Aegean, and this is a
war for the honor of the Atreides alone.”
But Brasidas son of Lysander spoke up for his fellow
Spartans, for he was a general of note and the man I trusted most, “King
Menelaus, son of Atreus, we Spartans are the greatest soldiers the world have
ever known, trained never to retreat, never to surrender. We will follow you on
this just cause and bring death upon the traitor Aegisthus.”
And so in this manner, they followed me, but the Mycannaen
army Aegisthus hath with him outnumbered the brave Spartans three to one. I was
not afraid, and was about to order my men to charge when my nephew Orestes
marched forward and shouted to the soldiers, “Men of Mycannae, wilt thou serve
Aegisthus, that creature of incest, and call him thy king? Or wilt thou serve
me and avenge my father, High King Agamemnon, the man who hath bought proud
Priam to his feet.”
The Mycannaens saw their young prince, and they hated the
usurper Aegisthus, so they decided to turn upon him. But Aegisthus asked to
fight Orestes one on one, and Orestes decided to grant him a clean death.
Aegisthus was a skilled warrior, but a treacherous one too.
He could see how well Orestes could parry his blows. Out of nowhere, he threw a
poisoned knife at Orestes’s shoulder. The pain was but slight. Orestes
recovered and continued his attack, knocking the sword off Aegisthus’s hand and
slaying him.
Now, Orestes hath recaptured his birthright, the throne of
Mycannae. He freed his sister Elektra, and the question was what he would do to
his sinful mother Clytemnestra? For surely, a man must avenge his father, but
what god could forgive a man who slew his own mother? Such was the dilemma that
Orestes now faced.
But the young boy was decisive beyond his years, and so he
uttered these brave words, “Arope hath betrayed Atreus, and now my mother
Clytemnestra hath betrayed my father High King Agamemnon. Let the curse of
Atreus end with me.” With these words, he stepped up to the throne and slew
Clytemnestra.
Then, he spoke unto Zeus, “King of Olympus, listen to me,
King of the Aegeans, as one king to another. I have broken thy law against
matricide, and if thou shalt find me guilty, slay me!” He then slept for three
days on an altar during a hard rain. There were many thunderstorms, and
thunders, the thing of Zeus, hit nearby him many times but missed him by only a
hand’s length. Then, the thunderstorm ended. Orestes was weak with fever but
unharmed.
At this point, I spoke to the men of Mycannae and Sparta.
“Aegeans, be my witness. The great god Zeus has judged my nephew to be a just
and worthy king, for any thunder could have slain him thence, but it did not.
Is there any man here who doth not agree with Zeus?”
And not a man stepped forward. At that point, I realized that
the curse of Atreus was over.
My daughter Hermione took care of Orestes, healing him of
the fever and poison from Aegisthus’s secret knife. It was clear that Orestes’
affection for her were not one-sided but mutual. Just then, Neoptolemus barged
in and shouted at her, charging her with infidelity when he saw Orestes in her
arms.
But Orestes was strong now and so he spoke these words,
“Your father Achilles was a noble warrior, but you are not half the man he is.
If you find Hermione blemished, then I shall marry her myself.”
But Neoptolemus was haughty, and he sneered, “Menelaus hath
given her to me as a token of friendship to my father, who is greatest amongst
all mortals and perhaps some of the gods on Olympus themselves. Now, that she
hath dishonored herself, I will slay her and cleanse my name with her blood.”
But Orestes wouldst not allow that, and the two young kings
fought for my daughter. Neoptolemus was the stronger of the two, but he was
rather careless. At one point, Orestes fell, and Neoptolemus was about to slay
him, when Hermione shouted, “No! I will do whatever you want. Only but spare
him!”
Neoptolemus paused for a moment of shock, and during that
split second, Orestes regained his sword, struck the son of Achilles in his
spleen, and slew the great warrior. Finally, my nephew came forth to me in
Sparta and told me of his intent to marry Hermione, and I was much impressed.
“You have defeated a hero of Troy and recaptured the throne
of Mycannae before thy beard hath grown. What father can want a better groom
for his daughter. Go with her, Orestes, for you have my blessings.”
In this manner, Hermione married the great Orestes, and for
many years, we were content.
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