Capaneus
heroOne of the Seven against Thebes who boasted that not even Zeus could stop him from scaling the walls.
The Myth
Zeus killed him with a thunderbolt mid-climb — the most literal divine punishment for hubris in all Greek myth. Capaneus was scaling the walls of Thebes, shouting that not even Zeus's lightning could stop him, when Zeus did exactly that. Dante placed him in the seventh circle of Hell, still defiant, still cursing. His wife Evadne threw herself onto his funeral pyre in one of myth's most dramatic suicides, telling Athena and Artemis that she had won the contest of wifely devotion. Statius makes Capaneus almost sympathetic — a pure nihilist who simply refused to acknowledge divine authority. Aeschylus portrayed him as the most terrifying of the Seven.
Parents
Hipponous
Children
Symbols
Fun Fact
Dante placed Capaneus in the Inferno, still defiant under a rain of fire, unchanged by death.
Explore Further
Evadne
heroWife of Capaneus who threw herself onto his funeral pyre at Thebes, becoming the archetype of...
Sthenelus of Argos
heroSon of Capaneus and charioteer of Diomedes at Troy, one of the Epigoni who avenged their fathers at...
Seven Against Thebes (Detail)
conceptThe doomed military expedition of seven champions against the seven gates of Thebes, organised by...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Zeus (King)
godZeus was the king of the Olympian gods, ruler of the sky, wielder of the thunderbolt — the supreme...
Artemis
godTwin sister of Apollo and goddess of the hunt. Artemis roamed the wild forests with her band of...
Artemis Brauronia
godAn epithet of Artemis worshipped at Brauron in Attica, where young girls performed bear dances as a...
Athena
godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, born fully armored from the head of Zeus. Patron deity of...
Athena (Warrior)
godAthena was the goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and craftsmanship — born fully armoured from...
Athena Promachos
godAn epithet of Athena meaning "the Champion" or "who fights in front," represented by a colossal...
Thebes
placeThebes was the great city of Boeotia, founded by Cadmus who sowed dragon teeth, and the setting for...
Thebes (Boeotia)
placeThe city of Cadmus and Oedipus, setting of more Greek tragedies than any other place.