Clytemnestra by Contanza Casati - The Ancient World's Most Wronged Woman
The Blog of a Bookseller
One thing we love at book club is a mythology retelling!
We adored Ariadne by Jennifer Saint in 2023, and this year, we wanted to read another feminist Greek myth, and who better than the ancient world's most wronged woman...
Clytemnestra is a woman of many names and faces a huntress, a warrior, a mother, a murderess, and a queen.
Having been titled as many things - Spartan Princess, Leda's Daughter, Helen of Troy's Sister, Wife of Agamemnon, Electra's Mother - Clytemnestra herself has always been a lesser-known character in comparison, and what we know of her is her scheming and murdering of Agamemnon.
We have heard the story of her daughter, Elektra - the proud daughter of Agamemnon - and we have listened to the story of her sister, Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships - but how often have we heard the story of Clytemnestra - the reluctant wife and Queen of Mycenae?
In her debut novel, Contanza Casati explores Clytemnestra in-depth, giving a voice to the long-overlooked woman of Greek Mythology. Spartan women were raised to be warriors and to fight. Clytemnestra was one of the strongest, and Agamemnon was determined to have her. He enlists her father's help to kill her first husband and baby son.
Casati traces the eponymous character's life from her childhood as Princess of Sparta to her first husband and the tragic events that forced her into marrying Agamemnon and her life as his wife and mother to his children and the following events. Not only is her second husband cruel, but he is of The House of Atreus, a house cursed by the gods, suffering death and destruction. In each succeeding generation, the House of Atreus is plagued by corruption, curses, betrayal, and the most heinous crime of all, the murder of family members. With strong feminist overtones, this story is both brutal and compelling. Though the author does not resort to exaggerated sentimentality, it is impossible to remain unaffected by Clytemnestra's story. It leaves you asking, is Clytemnestra a Notorious Villainess or Wronged Queen?
As previously mentioned, I adore Mythology Retelling, particularly those of the Greek variant, and one strand of retelling I love more than anything - Wronged Women reclaiming their story. I had wanted to read a Clytemnestra retelling for a while. Still, considering how often villains she has been in media, I was hesitant on which retelling to pick until a proof for Casati's novel appeared in the bookshop last year just before the hardback publication in March 2023.
As much as I love creative liberties in retellings, I have a strong appreciation for those which have been rigorously researched - it's part of the reason I adore Natalie Haynes, who holds a degree in Classical Studies, making her an expert in her field of retellings. This is the reason Casati's work stood out to me. In her author biography, it is noted that, despite being born in Texas, Casati was raised in Northern Italy, where she attended one of the country's most rigorous and prestigious academic programs for Ancient Greek studies and Literature. It told me almost immediately that Casati is, like Haynes, an expert in her field. I like it when a retelling pays attention to its source material.
This isn't a book one will simply read, but one the reader will step into.
One of the many things about Casati's novel I loved was the rage which bled from the pages. The women are angry, and rightfully so. In every word, Contanza Casati makes you feel heartache, rage, vengeance and strength so vividly that you feel your own veins burn as though it's in your blood and not a fictional character - you are Clytemnestra. It is all-consuming.
Constanza Casati's writing shows Clytemnestra as more than a wife who "betrays" her husband, but a strong warrior, mother, and queen with a knack for survival.
"As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her better. Let her be hated forever."
Painting: Clytemnestra by John Collier (1882)