Source edition
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Tragoediae. Peiper, Rudolf; Richter, Gustav, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1921.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This dramatic work depicts the tragic fate of the cursed House of Oedipus against the backdrop of the conflict over Thebes. In the first half, the blind Oedipus, suffering from his cursed past and desiring death, engages in a poignant dialogue with his daughter Antigone, who desperately pleads with him to choose life. The scene then shifts to the impending civil war between his sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who are vying for the throne. Their mother, Jocasta, rushes to the battlefield, throwing herself between the brothers to prevent the war and begging them to reconcile. Ultimately, despite her passionate appeals for peace, the brothers express their deep-rooted hatred and insatiable lust for power, leaving the tragic conflict unresolved.