39 pages • 1 hour read
Seven Against Thebes
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Book Brief
80
Play • Fiction
Thebes • Mythical Era
467
Dover Publications
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus follows the conflict between brothers Eteocles and Polynices over the throne of Thebes after their father Oedipus's death. The city is besieged by seven enemy champions, and Eteocles organizes the defense, choosing warriors for each city gate. The climactic battle at the seventh gate pits the brothers against each other, resulting in their mutual death and fulfilling Oedipus's curse, thus ending in tragedy.
Dark
Mysterious
Suspenseful
Melancholic
Challenging
Reviews & Readership
3,445 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus is praised for its exploration of fate, family, and conflict, showcasing powerful language and emotional intensity. Critics highlight its strong thematic depth and dramatic tension. Negative insights point to a perceived lack of character development and occasional melodrama. Overall, it remains a compelling, though not flawless, classic of Greek tragedy.
Who Should Read Seven Against Thebes?
A reader who enjoys Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus likely appreciates classic Greek tragedies, complex family dynamics, and themes of fate and destiny. Fans of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Euripides' The Bacchae would find similar appeal in this work.
3,445 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Chorus
Chorus
A group of young, unmarried Theban women who express their fears about the war's consequences and balance the masculine energy with their prayers and lamentations.
Messenger
Messenger
A secondary character who delivers crucial updates from the battlefield, detailing the seven attackers besieging Thebes, focusing on their symbolic shield designs.
Antigone
Antigone
Daughter of Oedipus and sister to Eteocles and Polynices, who appears at the play's end, ready to defy edicts for the sake of familial duty and honor her deceased brother.
Seven Against Thebes is part of a thematic trilogy that includes the lost plays Laius and Oedipus, of which only Seven Against Thebes has survived to modern times.
The play was first performed in 467 BCE, winning Aeschylus the first prize at the City Dionysia, a prestigious festival of ancient Greek drama.
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The play explores themes of fate and family curses, which are common across many of Aeschylus's works, emphasizing the inevitability of destiny in Greek tragedy.
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80
Play • Fiction
Thebes • Mythical Era
467
Dover Publications
Adult
18+ years
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