Thyestes

Family: House of Atreus · Role: father of Aegisthus · First appears: Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 1

Thyestes was the father of Aegisthus and the brother and enemy of Atreus. Atreus made him unknowingly eat the flesh of his own children, “that Thyestes whom Atreus, his brother, had made to eat, unknowing, of the flesh of his own children.” He later drove Thyestes from his country and home, after giving him a banquet made from his own children.

When Thyestes learned what had happened, he groaned, vomited the feast, and cursed Pelops’ sons and their descendants with an intolerable doom. He was elder-kin to Agamemnon, whose father was Atreus. Another account says that, when the world was still, Thyestes lay with his brother’s bride, won her to his will, and stole the Golden Lamb; Atreus then killed Thyestes’ children and feasted him.

Relationship record

Life events

• Atreus made Thyestes unknowingly eat the flesh of his own children.(Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 1)
  • With: Atreus
  • “that Thyestes whom Atreus, his brother, had made to eat, unknowing, of the flesh of his own children.”
• Atreus banishes his brother Thyestes from his country and home.(Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 9)
  • With: Atreus
  • “Atreus, our country's ruler, this man's father, Drove out my sire Thyestes, his own brother, (To tell the whole truth,) quarrelling for rule, An exile from his country and his home.”
• Atreus serves Thyestes a banquet made from his own children.(Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 9)
  • With: Atreus
  • “On plea of keeping festal day with cheer, To my sire banquet gave of children's flesh, His own.”
• Thyestes curses Pelops' sons and their descendants after discovering the banquet's horror.(Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 9)
  • With: Pelops
  • “And learning afterwards The deed of dread, he groaned and backward fell, Vomits the feast of blood, and imprecates On Pelops' sons a doom intolerable,”
• Atreus killed Thyestes’ children and served them to him as food.(Euripides, Orestes — Scene 1)
  • With: Atreus
  • “But Atreus then killed his children--and feasted him.”
• Thyestes steals the Golden Lamb after winning his brother’s bride to his will.(Euripides, Electra — Scene 6)
  • “For, lo, when the world was still, With his brother's bride he lay, And won her to work his will, And they stole the Lamb away!”

Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 1

• child: Aegisthus “Ægisthos, son of that Thyestes whom Atreus, his brother, had made to eat, unknowing, of the flesh of his own children.”
• siblings with Atreus “Ægisthos, son of that Thyestes whom Atreus, his brother, had made to eat, unknowing, of the flesh of his own children.”
• enemies with Atreus “that Thyestes whom Atreus, his brother, had made to eat, unknowing, of the flesh of his own children”

Aeschylus, Agamemnon — Scene 9

• siblings with Atreus “Atreus, our country's ruler, this man's father, Drove out my sire Thyestes, his own brother,”
• enemies with Atreus “And coming back a suppliant on the hearth, The poor Thyestes found a lot secure, Nor did he, dying, stain the soil with blood, There in his home. But this man's godless sire, Atreus, more prompt than kindly in his deeds, On plea of keeping festal day with cheer, To my sire banquet gave of children's flesh, His own.”
• younger kin: Agamemnon “Atreus, our country's ruler, this man's father, Drove out my sire Thyestes, his own brother,”
• parent: Pelops “And learning afterwards The deed of dread, he groaned and backward fell, Vomits the feast of blood, and imprecates On Pelops' sons a doom intolerable,”

Euripides, Orestes — Scene 1

• with Atreus (Atreus and Thyestes are explicitly described as relations and adversaries.) “and doomed him to make war on Thyestes his relation”
• enemies with Atreus “Atreus, for whom the Goddess having carded the wool spun the thread of contention, and doomed him to make war on Thyestes his relation;”

Euripides, Electra — Scene 6

• siblings with Atreus “And Pan, who holdeth the keys of the wild, Bore it to Atreus' feet: ... 'Twas dark Thyestes spoke. For, lo, when the world was still, With his brother's bride he lay, And won her to work his will, And they stole the Lamb away!”
• enemies with Atreus “'Twas dark Thyestes spoke. For, lo, when the world was still, With his brother's bride he lay, And won her to work his will, And they stole the Lamb away! Then forth to the folk strode he, And called them about his fold, And showed that Sign of the King to be, The fleece and the horns of gold.”

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Extracted from the original text of Greek Tragedy. Made with Rho MD.