Source edition
Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. II. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1921-1962)
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This tragedy depicts the conflict surrounding the recovery and burial of the Argive soldiers who fell in the failed expedition against Thebes. Set at the temple of Eleusis, the mothers of the deceased generals, along with King Adrastus of Argos, supplicate Aethra, the mother of the Athenian king Theseus, for assistance. Initially, Theseus refuses to help, criticizing Adrastus for leading a reckless and unjust war, but he is eventually persuaded by his mother Aethra to intervene for the sake of divine law and Athenian honor. Following a heated debate with a Theban herald over the merits of democracy versus tyranny, Theseus leads Athens to a military victory to retrieve the bodies. During the subsequent, grief-stricken funeral rites, the tragedy deepens as Evadne, the widow of Capaneus, leaps into her husband's funeral pyre. Finally, the goddess Athena appears, commanding Theseus to secure an oath of future vengeance from the children of the fallen, bringing the play to a close amidst lingering sorrow and the cycle of war.