Agamemnon, king of Argos (Tom Woodward), has a problem. His brother Menelaus (Nicholas Sweeney) has been made a cuckold, with his sister-in-law, the beguiling Helen, spirited to Troy.

Agamemnon and His Daughters, adapted from the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides by Kenneth Cavander. Directed by Molly Smith. Approximately three hours.

When Aegisthus bends Clytemnestra backward over the throne to urge her to take up the ax and kill Agamemnon, the large, gold weapon on the floor seems to mold to her grasp.

Twitter @ChrisJonesTrib ‘Agamemnon’ – 2.5 stars When: Through Dec. 6 Where: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Running time: 90 minutes Tickets: $45-$65 at 773-752-4473 or courttheatre.org ...

“Agamemnon” tells of the return of the mightiest Greek king, Agamemnon, to his home in Greece from the war in Troy and of his murder there by his wife, Clytemnestra.

As she imagines Agamemnon killing Iphigenia, Clytemnestra calls out a desperate prayer to Jupiter. As the scene ends, she hears a Greek procession, heading for the sacrificial ceremony.

Clytemnestra is a woman of action who will not be scorned, and will not be disrespected by Agamemnon. So, with a little help from her lover, Aegisthus (Michael Pogue as a perfectly icy opportunist ...

Starting with the bare bones of the Agamemnon and Clytemnestra story, Noon, DeWan, and the ensemble have created a contemporary first lady's-eye view of what really went down in that royal household.

The children of Agamemnon hug and kiss and talk and treasure silence with each other. Nevertheless, Electra tells Orestes he has to kill Aegisthos and Clytemnestra.