Eteocles
heroEteocles was the son of Oedipus who refused to share the throne of Thebes with his brother Polynices, sparking the war of the Seven — and dying in mutual fratricide.
The Myth
Eteocles defended Thebes against Polynices' army. He assigned each defender to a gate and himself chose the seventh — knowing his brother would be on the other side. The brothers killed each other, fulfilling their father's curse. Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes depicts Eteocles as a tragic defender forced by fate to face his own brother.
Parents
Oedipus and Jocasta
Symbols
Fun Fact
Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes (467 BC) is the earliest surviving play about war as a city's collective trauma.
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