The Suppliants by Euripides

One of my long-term goals is to finish reading all 54 volumes of the Great Books of the Western World. Right now I am reading the Greek plays of Euripides. While Euripides was not as popular as Aeschylus or Sophocles during his lifetime, his plays were in greater demand after his death, so that more than twice as many of his plays exist today than the others. Of the three, Sophocles is my favorite.

I just finished reading the Suppliants, a tragedy about the death of the seven valiant warriors of Argos who died trying to regain the Theban kingdom for Polyneices which was usurped by Creon after the death of Oedipus, Polyneices’ father. Creon refused to allow anyone to bury the dead warriors, forcing the aged king of Argos to plead for help from Thesseus, legendary king of Athens. Theseus agrees to help, moved by the Suppliants (mothers of the dead warriors) and Aethra, his wife, even though he is insulted and warned by Creon’s messenge not to interfere.

Theseus attacks Thebes, and in a fierce battle drives Creon back into the walled city and recovers the bodies of the seven warriors. The bodies are returned to Argos where they are burned and interred in a proper manner.

Several passages in the poem caught my attention. The first was the exchange between Theseus and the messenger from Creon. The messenger ridicules Athens for being ruled by a mob and Theseus counters with the travesties of a dictatorship. This is a classic debate between the two major Greek forms of government, democracy and monarchy. In this passage we get the major arguments for and against both forms of government.

The second passage is the eulogies pronounced by Adrastus, the aged king of Argos, for the seven warriors. It is moving how he portrays the character of each of the valiant men, emphasizing their courage, humility, and integrity. It causes one to pause and reflect on what one wishes to be at his or her own funeral.