Irlandos at 16:13, January 29, 2006

2006-01-29T16:13:21Z

Irlandos at 16:12, January 29, 2006

2006-01-29T16:12:06Z

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{{Infobox_Play | name = Seven Against Thebes
| image = The Oath Of The Seven Chiefs - Project Gutenberg eText 14994.png
| caption = The Oath of the Seven Chiefs by Alfred Church
| writer = [[Aeschylus]]
| chorus = [[Thebes|Theban]] Women
| characters = [[Eteocles]]<br />Spy<br />[[Antigone]]<br />[[Ismene]]<br />Herald
| setting = Citadel of Thebes
}}

'''"Seven Against Thebes"''' is a play by [[Aeschylus]] concerning the battle between [[Eteocles]] and the army of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] and [[Polynices]] and his supporters, traditional Theban enemies. This same story is told in a later play by [[Euripides]] called the [[Phoenician Women]].

When [[Oedipus]] stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, [[Eteocles]] and [[Polynices]], who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked Thebes with his supporters (the eponymous seven against Thebes). Both brothers died in the battle. Their maternal uncle, King [[Creon]], who ascended to the throne of Thebes decreed that Polynices, "who came back from exile, and sought to consume utterly with fire the city of his fathers," is not to be buried: "touching this man, it hath been proclaimed to our people that none shall grace him with sepulture or lament, but leave him unburied, a corpse for birds and dogs to eat, a ghastly sight of shame."

[[Antigone]], their sister, defied the order, (explaining that "I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living: in that world I shall abide for ever") but was caught. Creon decreed that she was to be buried alive, that in spite of the fact that she was betrothed to his son, [[Haemon]]. He declares "'Tis Death that shall stay these bridals for me." The gods, through the blind prophet [[Tiresias]], expressed their disapproval of Creon's decision ("one begotten of thine own loins shall have been given by thee, a corpse for corpses; because thou hast thrust children of the sunlight to the shades, and ruthlessly lodged a living soul in the grave"), which convinced him to rescind his order, and he went to bury Polynices. However, Antigone had already hanged herself rather than be buried alive. When Creon arrived at the tomb where she was to be interred, his son, Haemon, attacked him and then killed himself. When Creon's wife, [[Eurydice]], was informed of their death she, too, takes her own life.

Also during this battle, [[Capaneus]] was killed by a lightning bolt from [[Zeus]] as punishment for his arrogance. His wife, [[Evadne]], threw herself on his funeral pyre. Also, [[Megareus]] killed himself because [[Tiresias]] prophesied that a voluntarily death from a Theban would save Thebes.

[[Image:Eteocles and Polynices - Project Gutenberg eText 14994.png|thumbnail|right|300px|[[Eteocles]] and [[Polynices]] being carried away, dead, after the Battle of Thebes, by Alfred Church]]
The Seven Against Thebes were
#[[Adrastus]]
#[[Amphiaraus]]
#[[Capaneus]]
#[[Hippomedon]]
#[[Parthenopeus]]
#[[Polynices]]
#[[Tydeus]]
Allies:
#[[Adrastus]]

The defenders of Thebes included
#[[Creon]]
#[[Megareus]]
#[[Poriclymenus]]
#[[Melanippus]]
#[[Polyphontes]]
#[[Hyperbius]]
#[[Actor (mythology)|Actor]]
#[[Lasthenes]]

See also [[Epigoni]]

==External links==
*''[http://classics.mit.edu/Aeschylus/seventhebes.html Seven Against Thebes]'' translated by E. D. A. Morshead
*''[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=aesch.+seven+5 Seven Against Thebes]'' translated by Herbert Weir Smyth

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Ancient Greek plays]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Infobox_Play | name = Seven Against Thebes
+'''"Seven Against Thebes"''' is a play by [[Aeschylus]] concerning the battle between [[Eteocles]] and the army of [[Thebes]] and [[Polynices]] and his supporters, traditional Theban enemies.  This same story is told in a later play by [[Euripides]] called the [[Phoenician Women]].
 When [[Oedipus]] stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, [[Eteocles]] and [[Polynices]], who both agreed to alternate the throne every year.  After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked Thebes with his supporters (the eponymous seven against Thebes).  Both brothers died in the battle.  Their maternal uncle, King [[Creon]], who ascended to the throne of Thebes decreed that Polynices, "who came back from exile, and sought to consume utterly with fire the city of his fathers," is not to be buried:  "touching this man, it hath been proclaimed to our people that none shall grace him with sepulture or lament, but leave him unburied, a corpse for birds and dogs to eat, a ghastly sight of shame."
@@ Line 16: / Line 7: @@
 Also during this battle, [[Capaneus]] was killed by a lightning bolt from [[Zeus]] as punishment for his arrogance.  His wife, [[Evadne]], threw herself on his funeral pyre.  Also, [[Megareus]] killed himself because [[Tiresias]] prophesied that a voluntarily death from a Theban would save Thebes.
-[[Image:Eteocles and Polynices - Project Gutenberg eText 14994.png|thumbnail|right|300px|[[Eteocles]] and [[Polynices]] being carried away, dead, after the Battle of Thebes, by Alfred Church]]
 The Seven Against Thebes were
 #[[Adrastus]]

Seven Against Thebes - Revision history

Irlandos at 16:13, January 29, 2006

Irlandos at 16:12, January 29, 2006