Euripides: The Phoenician Women

SUMMARY:

A reenactment of Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes, which reaches further into all directions of the myths of the Theban House of Laius. More epic in scope than dramatic, it covers the ground not only of the attack on Thebes, its resolution in the simultaneous slaying of the brother-hero-enemies Eteocles and Polyneices, but also Antigone's determination to see Polyneices buried properly and her exile with Oedipus. In addition, the tragic action of the play seems to be the sacrifice of Creon's son Menoeceus, which, as foretold by Teiresias, would bring about the safety of the city. Ares required a sacrifice to repay the slaying of a dragon by Cadmus; this sacrifice had to be one of the descendents of the men who arose from the dragon's sown teeth, i.e., Creon. Creon refused to accept this, and announces that he'd rather lose the city than his son. His son appears thankful, yet accepts his duty to Thebes and sacrifices himself.

NOTES:

--Elizabeth Wyckoff explains in her translator's introduction that the play suffers from the ammendments of later producers. This would explained the scattered, epic feel of the play.

--I had a terribly hard time staying awake through this one...

--Nice how Jocasta lived through the tragic revellation of Oedipus to appear in this play...