OT a Se

bee:

FST

aaa

  

THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES. 43

The tragic events which followed arose from the
curse of the afflicted Gidipus. He had two sons,
Polynikes and Eteocles, who twice offended him
without intention, and whom he, frenzied by his
troubles, twice bitterly cursed, praying to the gods
that they might perish by each other’s hands.
Cidipus afterwards obtained the pardon of the gods
for his involuntary crime, and died in exile, leaving
Creon, the brother of Jocasta, on the throne. But
though he was dead, his curse kept alive, and brought
on new matter of dire moment.

It began its work in a quarrel between the two sons
as to who should succeed their uncle as king of Thebes.
Polynikes was in the wrong, and was forced to leave
Thebes, while Eteocles remained. The exiled prince
sought the court of Adrastus, king of Argos, who
gave him his daughter in marriage, and agreed to

- assist in restoring him to his native country.

Most of the Argive chiefs joined in the proposed
expedition. But the most distinguished of them
all, Amphiaratis, opposed it as unjust and against
the will of the gods. He concealed himself, lest he
should be forced into the enterprise. But the other
chiefs deemed his aid indispensable, and bribed his
wife, with a costly present, to reveal his hiding-
place. Amphiaraiis was thus forced to join the ex-
pedition, but his prophetic power taught him that it
would end in disaster to all and death to himself,
and as a measure of revenge he commanded his
son Alkmaon to kill the faithless woman who had
betrayed him, and after his death to organize a sec-
ond expedition against Thebes.