Review of Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Clytemnestra is often depicted as a villain. Here, her layered, sympathetic motivations are revealed. Trained as a warrior and now a queen, she must cope with brutality and frustrating circumstances in this tale of power, love, and vengeance.

“You can’t have justice and everyone’s approval.”

Clytemnestra was born a Spartan princess (sister of the beautiful Helen--later "of Troy") who married for love, then was married off against her will by her father to cruel Agamemnon, who killed her first husband--and her child.

She becomes queen in her adopted land, raises Agamenon's children, and suffers another devastating loss. She rules throughout her husband's absence during the years-long battle of Troy, building up strength, eliminating those who would betray her, trusting unlikely allies, and biding her time for her ultimate revenge.

Casati allows us to understand Clytemnestra's motivations, her growing ferocity, her undying loyalty, and how her training as a warrior shapes her life, her personality, and the path of her future.

Is this what happens when one falls in love and marries? Clytemnestra wonders. Is this what a woman gives up? All her life, she has been taught courage, strength, resilience, but must those qualities be kept at bay with a husband?

This is a feminist retelling of a notorious figure in Greek mythology who is often painted as a villain. (In the Odyssey, Agamemnon's ghost tells Odysseus about his death at his wife's hands.) Here, we see a more sympathetic and layered view of her sometimes ruthless actions, shaped by her love for her children and her refusal to bend to men's wills. Odysseus appears in the story, a faulted figure problematically odds with Clytemnestra and her goals.

"Gods do not care about us. They have other concerns. That is why you should never live in the shadow of their anger. It is men you must fear. It is men who will be angry with you if you rise too high, if you are too much loved. The stronger you are, the more they will try to take you down."

Casati shapes a rich setting. Clytemnestra's world is full of men who underestimate women, who threaten cruelty, and who are capable of destruction. The feminist tone of the novel doesn't feel out of step with an ancient time; it feels like warranted empowerment and long overdue justice.

I loved this story. Most of the story moves at a healthy pace, and Clytemnestra's perspective shifts and changes as she is affected by the circumstances and challenges around her.

I listened to an audiobook version of this title through Libby and my public library. Olivia Vinall is the narrator, and she's wonderful.

More Mythology Retellings

Costanza Casati is also the author of Babylonia and The President Show.

The "misunderstood queen" aspect of this story reminded me at times of the novel Cleopatra (although that story was modeled on a real-life queen rather than a mythological figure).

For more titles that center around mythology, please check out the Bossy posts at this link.