TheTheban Cycle (Greek:Θηβαϊκὸς Κύκλος) is a collection of four lostepics of ancientGreek literature which tells the mythological history of theBoeotian city ofThebes.[1] They were composed indactylic hexameter verse and believed to be recorded between 750 and 500 BC. The epics took place before theTrojan War and centered around theTheban royal family.
The epics of the Theban Cycle were theOedipodea, theThebaid, theEpigoni, and theAlcmeonis.
In the collection, the precise sequence of events and the handling of characters and plots are difficult to reconstruct. There are very few fragments for theOedipodea. For theEpigoni there are less than ten fragments and only three verbatim fragments totaling four lines.[2] In addition, unlike the poetry of the Trojan cycle, there is no prose summary.
The small fragments of theOedipodea that survive reveal it is a story related toOedipus and theSphinx. A better known and well preserved version of this story is told by the Athenian tragic poetSophocles in his playOedipus Rex. However, there are noteworthy differences between the two works.
One of the two fragments ofOedipodeia mentions the sphinx, describing it as a force that "devours great and small".[4] This differs from Sophocles' sphinx, which simply guards the entrance to Thebes and devours anyone who is unable to answer its riddle.[5]
Another fragment points out that while Oedipus did unknowingly have an incestuous relationship with his motherEpicaste/Jocasta like in Sophocles' play, his children were from another marriage.
There are certainly other differences between the two works as well, but no other fragments survive. As a result, it is difficult to know more about theOedipodea.
It records the quarrel between the brothers Eteocles and Polynices, sons of Oedipus, which led to the war of theSeven against Thebes.
After Oedipus gave up the throne of Thebes, his sonsEteocles andPolynices reached an agreement on how to divide their inheritance from their father. Polynices took possession of the material property while Eteocles claimed the title of the royal family.
Later, the exiled Polynices andTydeus arrive atArgos.Adrastus,king of Argos, provides troops to help Polynices regain the throne of Thebes. However, Polynices and his six commanders fail in their attack on Thebes. At the end of the poem, both Eteocles and Polynices are killed.
TheEpigoni is a sequel to theThebaid. Presumably it told the story of a second expedition to Thebes, led by thesons of the Seven, 10 years after the original expedition. In this story, the sons of the seven warriors capture the city and destroy it.
There is only an extremely limited fragment of the poem. In fact, only the first line is known: "But now, Muses, let us begin on the younger men."
Only seven records ofAlcmeonis are found in ancient literature.[6] It tells the story ofAlcmaeon killing his mother,Eriphyle, because she arranged for the death of his fatherAmphiaraus, whose murder is told inThebaid.
There is debate about whether to include theAlcmeonis in the epic cycle. However, Alcmaeon is an outstanding figure within the Theban saga. He is the son of Amphiaraus, one of the seven commanders who failed in the first campaign against Thebes, and he is one of the Epigonoi (the sons of the seven) who destroyed Thebes in the second campaign.[6]
The collection of four lost epics along with otherancient Greek literature influenced later literary creations.
One well-known example is the Theban plays ofSophocles. The plot ofOedipus Rex may have been influenced by theOedipodea. Sophocles also wrote another tragedy,Epigoni. Unfortunately, the script has been lost and only a few fragments remain.
TheThebaid was probably the basis fora later Latin epic poem of the same title which describes the struggle of Polynices and Eteocles for the throne of Thebes. Despite being criticized as rather exaggerated, it was popular in theMiddle Ages andRenaissance and promoted further literary creation.[7]
The epics of the Theban Cycle were converted into plays by ancient Greek dramatists, and those plays are still being performed today. One example isTheban Cycle (2002) presented by the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus. It is a production of four interconnected Greek plays: TheBacchae byEuripides,Oedipus Rex bySophocles,Seven Against Thebes byAeschylus, andAntigone by Sophocles.[8]
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