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Aegisthus

[ee-jis-thuhs]

noun

Classical Mythology.
  1. a cousin of Agamemnon who seduced Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, and was later killed by Orestes.



Aegisthus

/ iːˈdʒɪsθəs /

noun

  1. Greek myth a cousin to and the murderer of Agamemnon, whose wife Clytemnestra he had seduced. He usurped the kingship of Mycenae until Orestes, Agamemnon's son, returned home and killed him

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is left to Aegisthus, the poet, to rail against the war and what it has wrought.

Read more on New York Times

The liberties the playwright and director take with the trilogy — completed in about 2½ hours, with one intermission — include eliminating some characters, such as Aegisthus, Clytemnestra’s lover, who is implicated in Agamemnon’s death.

Read more on Washington Post

She played the title role; Taylor was Aegisthus, her evil lover and second husband.

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Agamemnon, in turn, is murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus, who are both killed by Orestes, the long-lost son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, with assistance from his sister, Electra.

Read more on New York Times

In Homer, Orestes does not slay Clytaemestra, and he needs no “purification” for slaying Aegisthus.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

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