1 The Living Art of Greek Tragedy Marianne McDonald, Ph.D., MRIA ...

Eteocles. It is most likely that a later writer added this passage, after seeing or reading Sophocles'
Antigone.
This is a warning against any civil war, which often is the bloodiest of all wars if the
American Civil War (1861-1865), and the Greek Civil War following World War II are any
indication. Some say both those wars are still going on. The “troubles” in Ireland have gone far
beyond the simple colonial model where the occupied fight against the occupier. When brother
fights brother no one can ever win. Wars that oppose one family or family member against each
other are as bloody as religious wars.
Seven Against Thebes takes place right before and around the city. It is possible that there
are statues of the gods at the back of the orchestra. We can assume that one entry, possibly
audience left, indicates the area of the conflict, from which the messenger would arrive, and the
other entry indicates city-center, either the shrines or the palace. When Eteocles addresses the
"citizens of Thebes," extras could play these citizens. A polarity is established between male and
female, between the men who run the city, who make the laws, declare war, and the women
(chorus) who are subject to those decisions, and who suffer from them. The chorus of women
enters after just having visited the shrines, so probably audience right. These suffering, lamenting
women are a key to the drama, which can be taken as a warning to Athens to avoid war and
internal strife. One would need particularly good performers (skilled singers and dancers) for the
female chorus. Modern productions, unlike the original production, often cast women in these
roles. Aeschylus' complex and striking poetry calls for particularly clear delivery.
The Suppliants
In this play, again, the chorus has a substantial role, singing over half the lines. The
daughters of Danaus (said to be fifty) come with their father from Egypt to Argos, trying to
escape marriage with their cousins, the fifty sons of Aegyptus. Since the original chorus of Greek
tragedy may have consisted of fifty (which I doubt), this used to be regarded as the oldest
surviving play by Aeschylus. We now know that it is not. The fifty must be represented by a
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