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Seven Against Thebes (play)

January 01, 1970

This article is about the play by Aeschylus. For the Seven champions who fought a war against Thebes, see 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. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea.[2] It concerns the battle between an Argive army, led by seven champions including Polynices who were called the Seven against Thebes, and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. The trilogy won the first prize at the Athens City Dionysia. The trilogy's first two plays, Laius and Oedipus, as well as the satyr play Sphinx, are no longer extant.

Seven Against Thebes
Capaneus scales the city wall of Thebes, Campanian red-figure Neck-amphora attributed to the Caivano Painter, ca. 340 BC, J. Paul Getty Museum (92.AE.86).[1]
Written byAeschylus
ChorusTheban Women
CharactersEteocles
Antigone
Ismene
Messenger
Herald
SettingCitadel of Thebes

Background edit

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 two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, in order to avoid bloodshed, agreed to rule Thebes in alternate years. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down, leading Polynices to raise an army of Argives (captained by the eponymous Seven) to take Thebes by force. This is where Aeschylus' tragedy starts.

Plot summary edit

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.[3] 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.[4] 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.

The seven attackers and defenders in the play are:

Mythic content edit

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. 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. "To call one of them Eteoklos, vis-à-vis Eteokles the brother of Polyneikes, appears to be the almost desperate invention of a faltering poet"[7] Burkert follows a suggestion made by Ernest Howald in 1939 that the Seven are pure myth led by Adrastos (the "inescapable") on his magic horse, seven demons of the Underworld; Burkert draws parallels in an Akkadian epic text, the story of Erra the plague god, and the Seven (Sibitti), called upon to destroy mankind, but who withdraw from Babylon at the last moment. The city is saved when the brothers simultaneously run each other through. 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".

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. 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. 470–460 BC.[9]

 
Eteocles and Polynices being carried away, dead, after the Battle of Thebes, by Alfred John Church

See also Epigoni, the mythic theme of the Second War of Thebes

Laius, Oedipus and The Sphinx edit

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. The only fragment definitively assigned to Oedipus is a line translated by Herbert Weir Smyth as "We were coming on our journey to the place from which three highways part in the branching roads, where we crossed the junction of the triple roads at Potniae."[2] The only two fragments definitively assigned to The Sphinx were translated by Smyth as "For the stranger a garland, an ancient crown, the best of bonds, as Prometheus said," and "The Sphinx, the Watch-dog that presideth over evil days."[10]

Critical reception edit

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.[11] From the nineteenth century onwards, however, it has not generally been regarded as among the tragedian's major works. 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]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ J. Paul Getty Museum 92.AE.86.
  2. ^ a b Smyth, H.W. (1930). Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Libation-Bearers, Eumenides, Fragments. Harvard University Press. pp. 437–438. ISBN 0-674-99161-3.
  3. ^ Eteocles simply mentions a curse, which the chorus state in full at 785ff.
  4. ^ Aeschylus. Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persians. Philip Vellacott's Introduction, pp.7–19. Penguin Classics.
  5. ^ "There is no reason to suppose that the tale was not based on historical fact" Cambridge Ancient History II (1978:168), noted by Burkert 1992:107n.
  6. ^ Burkert 1993:107-08 briefly surveys the attempts, with bibliography.
  7. ^ Burkert 1993:108.
  8. ^ Illustrated in Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling, Etruscan Myths (Series The Legendary Past, University of Texas/ British Museum) 2006, fig. 9 p. 22.
  9. ^ Relief in the Museo Etrusco, Villa Giulia, Rome, illustrated in Bonfante and Swaddling, fig. 10 p. 23, and p. 58.
  10. ^ Smyth, H.W. (1930). Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Libation-Bearers, Eumenides, Fragments. Harvard University Press. pp. 460–461. ISBN 0-674-99161-3.
  11. ^ Aeschylus (2013). Aeschylus I: The Persians, The Seven Against Thebes, The Suppliant Maidens, Prometheus Bound. Translated by Grene, David; Lattimore, Richmond. University of Chicago Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0226311456.
  12. ^ Aeschylus (1991). Seven Against Thebes. Translated by Hecht, Anthony; Bacon, Helen S. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0198020155.

Translations edit

References edit

  • Burkert, Walter 1992. The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age "Seven against Thebes" pp 106–14. Burkert draws parallels between Greek and Ancient Near Eastern materials. Notes and bibliography.

External links edit

 
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Seven against Thebes
 
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January 01, 1970
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This article is about the play by Aeschylus For the Seven champions who fought a war against Thebes see Seven against Thebes Seven Against Thebes Ancient Greek Ἑptὰ ἐpὶ 8hbas Hepta epi Thebas Latin Septem contra Thebas is the third play in an Oedipus themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea 2 It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by seven champions including Polynices who were called the Seven against Thebes and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters The trilogy won the first prize at the Athens City Dionysia The trilogy s first two plays Laius and Oedipus as well as the satyr play Sphinx are no longer extant Seven Against ThebesCapaneus scales the city wall of Thebes Campanian red figure Neck amphora attributed to the Caivano Painter ca 340 BC J Paul Getty Museum 92 AE 86 1 Written byAeschylusChorusTheban WomenCharactersEteoclesAntigoneIsmeneMessengerHeraldSettingCitadel of Thebes Contents 1 Background 2 Plot summary 3 Mythic content 4 Laius Oedipus and The Sphinx 5 Critical reception 6 See also 7 Notes 8 Translations 9 References 10 External linksBackground editWhen 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 two sons Eteocles and Polynices in order to avoid bloodshed agreed to rule Thebes in alternate years After the first year Eteocles refused to step down leading Polynices to raise an army of Argives captained by the eponymous Seven to take Thebes by force This is where Aeschylus tragedy starts Plot summary editSeven 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 3 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 4 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 The seven attackers and defenders in the play are Attacker Defender 1 Tydeus Melanippus 2 Capaneus Polyphontes 3 Eteoclus Megareus 4 Hippomedon Hyperbius 5 Parthenopaeus Actor 6 Amphiaraus Lasthenes 7 Polynices EteoclesMythic content editThe 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 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 To call one of them Eteoklos vis a vis Eteokles the brother of Polyneikes appears to be the almost desperate invention of a faltering poet 7 Burkert follows a suggestion made by Ernest Howald in 1939 that the Seven are pure myth led by Adrastos the inescapable on his magic horse seven demons of the Underworld Burkert draws parallels in an Akkadian epic text the story of Erra the plague god and the Seven Sibitti called upon to destroy mankind but who withdraw from Babylon at the last moment The city is saved when the brothers simultaneously run each other through 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 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 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 470 460 BC 9 nbsp Eteocles and Polynices being carried away dead after the Battle of Thebes by Alfred John Church See also Epigoni the mythic theme of the Second War of ThebesLaius Oedipus and The Sphinx editOf 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 The only fragment definitively assigned to Oedipus is a line translated by Herbert Weir Smyth as We were coming on our journey to the place from which three highways part in the branching roads where we crossed the junction of the triple roads at Potniae 2 The only two fragments definitively assigned to The Sphinx were translated by Smyth as For the stranger a garland an ancient crown the best of bonds as Prometheus said and The Sphinx the Watch dog that presideth over evil days 10 Critical reception editTranslators 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 11 From the nineteenth century onwards however it has not generally been regarded as among the tragedian s major works 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 See also editLille Stesichorus a papyrus fragment of the Theban myth by the lyric poet Stesichorus Thebaid an epic poem depicting the same battle by the Roman author Statius published c 91 92 AD Notes edit J Paul Getty Museum 92 AE 86 a b Smyth H W 1930 Aeschylus Agamemnon Libation Bearers Eumenides Fragments Harvard University Press pp 437 438 ISBN 0 674 99161 3 Eteocles simply mentions a curse which the chorus state in full at 785ff Aeschylus Prometheus Bound The Suppliants Seven Against Thebes The Persians Philip Vellacott s Introduction pp 7 19 Penguin Classics There is no reason to suppose that the tale was not based on historical fact Cambridge Ancient History II 1978 168 noted by Burkert 1992 107n Burkert 1993 107 08 briefly surveys the attempts with bibliography Burkert 1993 108 Illustrated in Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling Etruscan Myths Series The Legendary Past University of Texas British Museum 2006 fig 9 p 22 Relief in the Museo Etrusco Villa Giulia Rome illustrated in Bonfante and Swaddling fig 10 p 23 and p 58 Smyth H W 1930 Aeschylus Agamemnon Libation Bearers Eumenides Fragments Harvard University Press pp 460 461 ISBN 0 674 99161 3 Aeschylus 2013 Aeschylus I The Persians The Seven Against Thebes The Suppliant Maidens Prometheus Bound Translated by Grene David Lattimore Richmond University of Chicago Press p 68 ISBN 978 0226311456 Aeschylus 1991 Seven Against Thebes Translated by Hecht Anthony Bacon Helen S Oxford University Press p 3 ISBN 0198020155 Translations editAnna Swanwick 1886 verse full text A S Way 1906 verse E D A Morshead 1908 verse on line text Edwyn Bevan 1912 verse G M Cookson 1922 verse Herbert Weir Smyth 1922 prose full text David Grene 1956 verse Philip Vellacott 1961 verse Helen H Bacon and Anthony Hecht 1973 verse Will Power 2001 verse lyric George Theodoridis 2010 prose full text Ian C Johnston 2012 verse full textReferences editBurkert Walter 1992 The Orientalizing Revolution Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age Seven against Thebes pp 106 14 Burkert draws parallels between Greek and Ancient Near Eastern materials Notes and bibliography External links edit nbsp Wikisource has original text related to this article Seven against Thebes nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seven against Thebes Seven Against Thebes nbsp Seven against thebes public domain audiobook at LibriVox Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Seven Against Thebes play amp oldid 1178806121 Laius Oedipus and The Sphinx, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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