七将攻忒拜

《七将攻忒拜》（希腊语：Ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ Θήβας），又译七雄攻忒拜，是古希腊剧作家埃斯库罗斯的悲剧作品，故事讲述了忒拜的两位王子争夺王位自相残杀而死的故事。稍晚的欧里庇得斯也就相同的题材作了一部《腓尼基妇女》。

俄狄浦斯幼子波吕尼刻斯被胞兄厄忒俄克勒斯从忒拜逐出后来到阿耳戈斯城，并娶了该城国王阿德剌斯托斯的大女儿阿耳基刻。

阿耳戈斯国王阿德拉斯托斯、波吕尼刻斯本人、阿德拉斯托斯女婿堤丢斯、预言家安菲阿拉俄斯、国王之甥卡帕纽斯、国王的兄弟希波迈冬以及女猎手阿塔兰忒之子帕耳忒诺派俄斯，共七位英雄率领七支军队远征被称为七门之城的忒拜以帮助波吕尼克斯夺回王位，每个英雄分别围攻七座城门中的一座。

在经过了一段时间的战斗后，波吕尼刻斯与厄忒俄克勒斯决定单独决斗。厄忒俄克勒斯一剑刺中了波吕尼刻斯的腹部，以为取得了胜利，在弯腰拣拾对手的武器时被垂死的波吕尼刻斯一剑刺死。

波吕尼刻斯曾想让临死的俄狄浦斯回到忒拜巩固自己的统治，俄狄浦斯诅咒：“你无法毁灭你父亲的城市，你和你兄弟必然会躺在你们自己的血泊之中。”现在这诅咒变成了现实。

双方都认为自己一方才算胜利。阿耳戈斯军想再攻打忒拜，但忒拜军队在观看决斗时仍保持着战斗的队形，向乱作一团的阿耳戈斯军队杀来。阿耳戈斯军队惨败溃退。

俄狄浦斯的两个儿子七将攻忒拜之战战死后，他的女儿安提戈涅也被新国王克律翁处死。

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. 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.

Background

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

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.

The seven attackers and defenders in the play are: