Finally, the commander of the troops before the seventh gate is revealed to be Polynices, the brother of the king. By Aeschylus . A particularly gruesome detail from the battle, in which Tydeus gnawed on the living brain of Melanippos in the course of the siege, also appears, in a sculpted terracotta relief from a temple at Pyrgi, ca. The city is saved when the brothers simultaneously run each other through. The war of the SEVEN AGAINST THEBES was an Argive intervention in a Theban conflict. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text. Of the 76 plays he is known to have written only seven survive--1. After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Dialogues show aspects of Eteocles' character. It is the classic statement of the myth (also covered by Euripides ‘ play “The Phoenician Women” ) of the battle for the city of Thebes after the shamed Oedipus relinquished power to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices Hide browse bar Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes ). To illustrate it, I’ll use a play full of gambling references and high-risk action: Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes. Seven Against Thebes (Ancient Greek: Ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ Θήβας, Hepta epi Thēbas; Latin: Septem contra Thebas) is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. See more. There is also a lengthy description of each of the seven captains that lead the Argive army against the seven gates of the city of Thebes as well as the devices on their respective shields. Seven Against Thebes, the story of the conflict between Eteocles and Polyneices, the sons of Oedipus, won Aeschylus a first prize at its initial performance. Seven Against Thebes. The seven attackers and defenders in the play are: The mytheme of the "outlandish" and "savage" Seven who threatened the city has traditionally seemed to be based on Bronze Age history in the generation before the Trojan War,[5] when in the Iliad's Catalogue of Ships only the remnant Hypothebai ("Lower Town") subsists on the ruins of Thebes. When Eteocles refused to give up the throne, Adrastus mobilized an army, whose chieftains, in Aeschylus’s tragedy about the Seven, were Tydeus, Capaneus, Eteoclus, Hippomedon, Parthenopaeus, Amphiaraus, and Polyneices. 9.1", "denarius") All Search Options [view abbreviations] Home Collections/Texts Perseus Catalog Research Grants Open Source About Help. The mythic theme passed into Etruscan culture: a fifth-century bronze mirrorback[8] is inscribed with Fulnice (Polynices) and Evtucle (Eteocles) running at one another with drawn swords. It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. It is the story of the war the broke out after Oedipus was exiled from the city of Thebes, and his sons Eteocles and Polynices ascended to the throne. antistrophe 1 Be near and befriend us, O Pallas, the Zeus-born maiden of might! POLYNICES AND TYDEUS AS THE GUESTS OF ADRASTUS. 1926. This is where Aeschylus' tragedy starts. The trilogy won the first prize at the City Dionysia. Seven Against Thebes, in Greek mythology, the seven champions who were killed fighting against Thebes after the fall of Oedipus, the king of that city. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Seven-Against-Thebes, Theoi Greek Mythology - Seven Against Thebes. Facebook Twitter. Aeschylus. The Chorus is reminded that while they mourn both brothers, there is also cause for celebration: the curse of Oedipus is now over. Corrections? Dwellers of the city of Cadmus, at the signal given by time and season must the ruler speak who sets the course and steers the ship of state with hand upon the tiller and with eye watchful against the treachery of sleep. Myths are…. Eteocles simply mentions a curse, which the chorus state in full at 785ff. Translators Anthony Hecht and Helen H. Bacon wrote that the play "has been accused of being static, undramatic, ritualistic, guilty of an interpolated and debased text, archaic, and in a word, boring," though they themselves disagree with such a description.[12]. AESCHYLUS, SEVEN AGAINST THEBES AESCHYLUS was a Greek tragedian who flourished in Athens in the early C5th B.C. Aeschylus could count on his audience knowing the story depicted in the tragedy without his having to fill in a lot of details. From fruits to winged sandals, test your knowledge in this study of Greek and Roman mythology. Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D., Ed. Aeschylus Seven Against Thebes Translated by Herbert Weir Smyth Revised by the Seven Against Thebes Heroization team (Hélène Emeriaud, Kelly Lambert, Janet M. Ozsolak, Sarah Scott, Keith Stone) The Acropolis of Thebes, in which stand altars and images of various divinities. Considered the father of Greek tragedy, Aeschylus was born around 525 BCE into an aristocratic family of Eleusis, an area west of central Athens. Buy Now More Buying Choices 8 new from $1.50. Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes trilogy (467 BC) In 467 BC, the Athenian playwright, Aeschylus, most notably wrote a trilogy based on the myth of Oedipus, winning him the first prize at the City Dionysia. Purchase a copy of this text (not necessarily the same edition) from Amazon.com The Origins of the Seven Against Thebes The origins of the war occur with the sons of Oedipus disputing the throne of Thebes. Burkert adduces a ninth-century relief from Tell Halaf which would exactly illustrate a text from II Samuel 2: "But each seized his opponent by the forelock and thrust his sword into his side so that all fell together". Seven Against Thebes . When Oedipus, King of Thebes, realized he had married his own mother and had two sons and two daughters with her, he blinded himself and cursed his sons to divide their inheritance (the kingdom) by the sword. The trilogy won the first prize at the City Dionysia. When Oedipus was found guilty of both murder and incest, he was forced to abdicate. Eteocles, in turn, announces which Theban commanders he will send against each Argive attacker. Translation of E. D. A. Morshead. Myth, a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. Update this section! Of his over 90 pl… [9], See also Epigoni, the mythic theme of the Second War of Thebes, Of the other two plays that made up the trilogy that included Seven Against Thebes, Laius and Oedipus, and of its satyr play The Sphinx, few fragments have survived. Seven against thebes definition, seven heroes, Amphiaraus, Capaneus, Eteoclus, Hippomedon, Parthenopaeus, Polynices, and Tydeus, who led an expedition against Thebes to depose Eteocles in favor of his brother Polynices: the expedition failed, but the Epigoni, the sons of the Seven against Thebes, conquered the city ten years later. He began writing about this same time, winning his first victory in 484 BCE. Who is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Ares? When the sons of the dead Seven, the Epigoni, or second generation, had grown to manhood, Adrastus again attacked the city and occupied it after the Thebans had evacuated it by night. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. "There is no reason to suppose that the tale was not based on historical fact". D. Cambridge, MA. Eteocles. Aeschylus does all he Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes, Probability, and a New Theory of Tragedy. Aeschylus, with an English translation by Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. The trilogy's first two plays, Laius and Oedipus, as well as the satyr play Sphinx, are no longer extant. … The play tells the story of the conflict between Eteocles and Polynices, sons of Oedipus, who fought over the throne of Thebes. O lord of the steed and the sea, be thy trident uplifted to smite In eager desire of the fray, Poseidon! Updates? Omissions? The term “Seven Against Thebes”, in Greek mythology, refers to a war which saw “the Seven” commanders lead an Argive army against the city state of Thebes. 15 used from $4.75. 23 used & new from $1.50. The Seven Against Thebes is the third part of Aeschylus’ trilogy about Thebes. Harvard University Press. The story of the Seven was a great favourite in antiquity. ADRASTUS, son of Talaus, king of Argos, had five children, of which two, Argia and Deipyle, were daughters. Seven Against Thebes (Ancient Greek: Ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ Θήβας, Hepta epi Thēbas; Latin: Septem contra Thebas) is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. and Ares come down, Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position: He died at Megara on the homeward journey. Due to the popularity of Sophocles' play Antigone, the ending of Seven Against Thebes was rewritten about fifty years after Aeschylus' death. Some scholars claim he may have also fought at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE. The Seven Against Thebes was the famous war between the Argive army led by seven champions and the city of Thebes. During their assault on the city’s seven gates, Capaneus was struck by Zeus’s lightning bolt; Amphiaraus was swallowed up by the earth; Polyneices and Eteocles killed each other, fulfilling Oedipus’s curse; and the others were killed by the guards at Thebes. “Seven Against Thebes” (Gr: “Hepta epi Thebas” ; Lat: “Septem contra Thebas” ) is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, dating from 467 BCE. The scout returns with news that Thebes has successfully defended six of the gates, but the seventh gate was the scene of a tragic encounter that took the life of both sons of Oedipus. Update this section. The Seven Against Thebes ... has been added to your Cart Add to Cart. March 18, 2021. [2] It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. trilogy that also included the tragedies Laius and Oedipus, both of which are now lost. The Persians, 2. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section. Perhaps we should say: a play about a war, for the attack of the Argive champions on Thebes, the struggle of Greek against Greek, brother against brother, is a particular chapter in history. It is the subject not only of the lost epic the Thebaid and of Aeschylus’s tragedy Seven Against Thebes but also of Euripides’ play Phoenician Women. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Who led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece? A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. ("Agamemnon", "Hom. This parallelism of Pindar’s Pythian 8 with Aeschylus’ Seven is particularly remarkable in view of the epic identity of the hero Amphiaraus: he is one of the original Seven against Thebes and his son Alcmaeon is one of the Epigonoi. Then Eteocles remembers and refers to the curse of their father Oedipus. Illustrated in Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seven_Against_Thebes&oldid=1008004181, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Wikipedia articles with multiple identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 February 2021, at 01:54. Seven Against Thebes features little action; instead, the bulk of the play consists of rich dialogues between the citizens of Thebes and their king Eteocles regarding the threat of the hostile army before their gates. Other authors count Adrastus as one of the Seven and omit Hippomedon or Polyneices. Revised by Gregory Nagy . Their bodies are brought on stage, and the chorus mourns them. Of the plays, Laius was the first, Oedipus was second, and Seven Against Thebes was the third play and the only one to have survived. For use by any theatrical, educational or cinematic organisation, however, Oedipus' curse . Following a choral ode, a messenger enters, announcing that the attackers have been repelled but that Eteocles and Polynices have killed each other in battle. A proud Athenian, he fought against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE where his brother was killed. And seven high chieftains of war, with spear and with panoply bold, Are set, by the law of the lot, to storm the seven gates of our hold! The formidable talents of Anthony Hecht, one of the most gifted of contemporary American poets, and Helen Bacon, a classical scholar, are here brought to bear on this vibrant translation of Aeschylus' much underrated tragedy The Seven Against Thebes. The two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, in order to avoid bloodshed, agreed to rule Thebes in alternate years. Aeschylus won … See All Buying Options Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping. In this case, you could leave out Mecisteus and Adrastus (eg. The trilogy's first two plays, Laius and Oedipus, as well as the satyr play Sphinx, are no longer extant. The Seven is the third play of trilogy, a … Seven Against Thebes, in Greek mythology, the seven champions who were killed fighting against Thebes after the fall of Oedipus, the king of that city. The Tragedy of War Thomas Rosenmeyer ImS IS A PLAY ABOUT WAR, A PLAY 'full of Ares' as an ancient critic put it. Aeschylus's Seven against Thebes revolves around the power struggle between the brothers Eteocles and Polynices over the city-state of Thebes. Seven Against Thebes does not profess to answer that question, but most tragically and profoundly presents it to us. This time on MonarchsFactory we revisit the story of the Seven Against Thebes, couched comfortably between the stories of Oedipus and Antigone. The name of the gates attacked by the Seven was also given in … Od. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. "[10], Translators David Grene and Richmond Lattimore wrote that "the rise of German Romanticism, and the consequent resurgence of enthusiasm for Aeschylus' archaic style and more direct and simple dramaturgy," resulted in the elevation of Seven Against Thebes as an early masterpiece of Western drama. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. “SEVEN AGAINST THEBES” 467BC (1st prize at the City Dionysia) Translated by George Theodoridis © 2010 http://bacchicstage.wordpress.com/ This work may be freely reproduced, stored and transmitted, electronically or otherwise, for any NON-COMMERCIAL purpose. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. D. in two volumes. Yet archaeologists have been hard put to locate seven gates in "seven-gated Thebes":[6] In 1891 Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff declared that the seven gates existed only for symmetry with the seven assailants, whose very names vary: some have their own identity, like Amphiaraus the seer, "who had his sanctuary and his cult afterwards... Others appear as stock figures to fill out the list," Burkert remarks. Burkert 1993:107-08 briefly surveys the attempts, with bibliography. 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