Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent.

You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own.

You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot.

You are Clytemnestra.

But when the husband who owns you returns in triumph, what then?

Acceptance or vengeance – infamy follows both. So you bide your time and wait, until you might force the gods’ hands and take revenge. Until you rise. For you understood something that the others don’t. If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

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As regular readers of Jo’s Book Blog will know, I’m a huge fan of novels featuring Greek mythology, and particularly those retellings that share those well-known narratives from the perspectives of the women that have historically been reduced to supporting roles.  Clytemnestra’s story is one that I’m familiar with from novels such as Elektra by Jennifer Saint.  Or so I thought.  By focussing solely on Clytemnestra, Casati is able to provide a much richer background for this character and draws out an element of her story that I wasn’t previously aware of.

Clytemnestra is a princess of Sparta and sister of the (in)famous Helen. We first meet her as a young woman, happy and content in her life.  Through her father, she and her siblings learn how to rule, with the expectation that she will become a queen through marriage in the future, and she shows herself to be intelligent and competent from a young age.  She also trains with the other young women – all were taught to fight in Sparta, regardless of gender.  She is extremely protective of her family, and particularly Helen to whom she is closest in age and who is less capable in the martial arts, which makes Clytemnestra perhaps a little over protective of her.  She comes across as a fierce and determined young woman who is brave, capable, and independent.  It makes what follows all the more shocking. 

Clytemnestra’s narrative is, I think, reasonably well known.  She marries Agamemnon – very much against her will in this version of events – while her sister, Helen, marries his brother, Menelaus.  Agamemnon wrongs her repeatedly, firstly by the way in which he gains her hand (no spoilers) as well as his actions some years later when the Greeks set sail for Troy.  From the moment of their marriage, we see a Clytemnestra who is driven by the need to avenge herself for the wrongs done to her – forgiveness is not in her nature, and where some might eventually let go and accept their lot in life, she never does.  They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, and so it proves for Clytemnestra as she waits for the right moment – something that takes years to come about.

I love the evocation of the ancient world in novels such as this, and Clytemnestra is no exception.  Casati successfully brings to life elements of Grecian life – the buildings, the clothing, the food and drink.  It’s not all positive, of course, and the author doesn’t shy away from the negative elements of that society, such as slavery or the general oppression of women, Clytemnestra being a rare exception.  While Spartan women might have been treated more equally than most, there were still limits, and it’s only through the sheer force of her will that Clytemnestra retains any degree of independence and power.  While Agamemnon sees her competence and is happy to let her rule as a result, there’s the sense that she walks a tightrope – one slip, and any power she has gained can and will be revoked, and Agamemnon’s advisors would be all too happy to see it happen, frustrated at being commanded by a woman.  It’s an incredibly thrilling and compelling narrative as she must constantly battle with those who would happily see her “put in her place” and full of intrigue and strained loyalties.    

While I was already familiar with Clytemnestra’s tale to a degree, Casati weaves a wonderful narrative that I found riveting despite there being few new elements.  The tension is high throughout as we see Clytemnestra vie for power and struggle against the standards of the time, all the while seeking revenge.  Where other, similar novels incorporate multiple perspectives, Casati has chosen to focus on Clytemnestra alone, and the novel provides a deeper understanding of her character and what drove her as a result.  Highly recommended for those who enjoy retellings of Greek myths and / or tales of capable, ambitious, and driven women who refuse to defer to those around them.