Tantalus
Family: Gods · Role: ancestor of Pelops · First appears: Euripides, Orestes — Scene 1
In Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamemnon killed Tantalus, Clytemnestra’s former husband, and then took her as his wife. She recalls this as “having slain Tantalus, my former husband,” making Tantalus and Agamemnon enemies.
In Orestes, Tantalus is presented as the son of Zeus, suffering punishment while “trembling at the rock which impends over his head.” He begat Pelops, from whom Atreus sprang, and his family is invoked through Agamemnon, Orestes, Menelaus, and Electra; the ancient calamities of his house include the strife of the golden lamb, destructive feasts, and the murders linked to the two sons of Atreus.
Relationship record
Life events
- Agamemnon killed Tantalus, Clytaemnestra's former husband.(Euripides, Iphigenia In Aulis — Scene 7)
- With: Agamemnon
- “thou didst wed me unwilling, and obtain me by force, having slain Tantalus, my former husband”
Euripides, Orestes — Scene 1
- parent: Zeus “For Tantalus, the blest, (and I am not reproaching his fortune, when I say this,) the son of Jupiter, as they report, trembling at the rock which impends over his head, hangs in the air, and suffers this punishment”
- child: Pelops “He begat Pelops, and from him sprung Atreus”
Euripides, Orestes — Scene 3
- younger kin: Agamemnon “For what other[6a] family ought I to reverence yet before that sprung from divine nuptials, sprung from Tantalus?”
- younger kin: Orestes “For what other[6a] family ought I to reverence yet before that sprung from divine nuptials, sprung from Tantalus?”
- younger kin: Menelaus “For what other[6a] family ought I to reverence yet before that sprung from divine nuptials, sprung from Tantalus?--But lo! the king! the prince Menelaus, is coming! but he is very easily discernible from the elegance of his person, as king of the house of the Tantalidæ.”
Euripides, Orestes — Scene 6
- younger kin: Atreus “from the ancient calamity of the house, when the strife of the golden lamb arose among the descendants of Tantalus; most shocking feasts, and the slaughter of noble children; from whence murder responsive to murder fails not to attend on the two sons of Atreus.”
Euripides, Orestes — Scene 7
- younger kin: Pelops “my ancient father Tantalus; who begat the progenitors of my family, who saw calamities, what time in the pursuing of steeds, Pelops in his car drawn by four horses perpetrated”
- younger kin: Electra “my ancient father Tantalus; who begat the progenitors of my family”
Euripides, Iphigenia In Aulis — Scene 7
- enemies with Agamemnon “thou didst wed me unwilling, and obtain me by force, having slain Tantalus, my former husband”
- married with Clytemnestra “having slain Tantalus, my former husband”
Euripides, Iphigenia In Tauris — Scene 1
- child: Pelops “Pelops, the son of Tantalus, setting out to Pisa with his swift steeds”
Euripides, Electra — Scene 8
- younger kin: Electra “There lives no seed of man calamitous, Nor hath lived, like this seed of Tantalus.”
- younger kin: Orestes “There lives no seed of man calamitous, Nor hath lived, like this seed of Tantalus.”
⭐ Character constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →
Extracted from the original text of Greek Tragedy. Made with Rho MD.