Iphigenia in Aulis the pretext that the girl is to be married to the Greek warrior Achilles before he sets off to fight. At the start of the play, Agamemnon has second thoughts about going through with the sacrifice and sends a second message to his wife, telling her to ignore the first. Clytemnestra never receives it, however, because it is intercepted by Menelaus, Agamemnon's brother, who is enraged over his change of heart. To Menelaus, this is not only a personal blow (for it is his wife, Helen, with whom the Trojan prince Paris ran off, and whose retrieval is the main
Althaea (mythology) Althaea (mythology) Althaea or Althea (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλθαία "Althaía" "healer" from "althainein", "to cure"; "also a kind of" mallow") was the queen of Calydon in Greek mythology. Althaea was the daughter of King Thestius and Eurythemis, and was sister to Leda, Hypermnestra, Iphiclus, Euippus. She was also the wife of Oeneus, king of Calydon, and mother of sons, Meleager, Toxeus, Thyreus (Pheres or Phereus), Clymenus, Agelaus (Ageleus), Periphas and daughters, Deianeira, Gorge, Melanippe and Eurymede (the latter two were included in the Meleagrids). According to some writers, Meleager was the result of a liaison with the Greek god Ares,