Seven Against Thebes
by Aeschylus
'Seven Against Thebes' Summary
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. Dialogues show aspects of Eteocles' character. 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. Eteocles, in turn, announces which Theban commanders he will send against each Argive attacker. Finally, the commander of the troops before the seventh gate is revealed to be Polynices, the brother of the king. Then Eteocles remembers and refers to the curse of their father Oedipus. Eteocles resolves to meet and fight his brother in person before the seventh gate and exits. 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. Their bodies are brought on stage, and the chorus mourns them.
Due to the popularity of Sophocles' play Antigone, the ending of Seven Against Thebes was rewritten about fifty years after Aeschylus' death. While Aeschylus wrote his play to end with somber mourning for the dead brothers, it now contains an ending that serves as a lead-in of sorts to Sophocles' play: a messenger appears, announcing a prohibition against burying Polynices; his sister Antigone, however, announces her intention to defy this edict.
Book Details
Author
Aeschylus
Greece
Aeschylus was an ancient Greek author of Greek tragedy, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academics' knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek trag...
More on AeschylusDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraord...
Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca is a philosophical allegory that explores the nature of reality and the free will of the individual. The...
Adrienne Lecouvreur by Ernest Legouve
Adrienne Lecouvreur is a French tragic play written by Ernest Legouvé and Eugène Scribe. It portrays the life of the leading French actress of the eig...
Gyges und sein Ring by Friedrich Hebbel
Tauchen Sie ein in die faszinierende Welt von "Gyges und sein Ring" von Friedrich Hebbel, einem zeitlosen Drama, das die Grenzen von Macht, Moral und...
Pandora's Box by Frank Wedekind
Pandora's Box is a 1904 play by the German dramatist Frank Wedekind. It forms the second part of his pairing of 'Lulu' plays, the first being Earth Sp...
The School For Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 17...
A Man's World by Rachel Crothers
In the heart of bohemian New York City, amidst the vibrant artistic circles of Greenwich Village, Frank Ware, an enigmatic writer, navigates the compl...
Justice by John Galsworthy
Justice is a 1910 play by the British writer John Galsworthy. It was part of a campaign to improve conditions in British prisons.
The Bacchae by Euripides
The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I...
Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill
Beyond the Horizon is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. Although he first copyrighted the text in June 1918, O'Neill continued to...
Reviews for Seven Against Thebes
No reviews posted or approved, yet...