The Phoenician Women

The Phoenician Women
Farewell of Oedipus to the Corpses of His Wife and Sons by Édouard Toudouze
Written byEuripides
ChorusPhoenician Women
CharactersJocasta
Tutor
Antigone
Polynices
Eteocles
Creon
Teiresias
Menoeceus
First Messenger
Second Messenger
Oedipus
Mutedaughter of Teiresias
guards
attendants
Place premieredAthens
Original languageAncient Greek
GenreTragedy
SettingBefore the royal palace of Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)

The Phoenician Women (Ancient Greek: Φοίνισσαι, Phoinissai) is a tragedy by Euripides, based on the same story as Aeschylus' play Seven Against Thebes. It was presented along with the tragedies Hypsipyle and Antiope. With this trilogy, Euripides won the second prize. The title refers to the Greek chorus, which is composed of Phoenician women on their way to Delphi who are trapped in Thebes by the war. Unlike some of Euripides' other plays, the chorus does not play a significant role in the plot, but represents the innocent and neutral people who very often are found in the middle of war situations. Patriotism is a significant theme in the story, as Polynices talks a great deal about his love for the city of Thebes but has brought an army to destroy it; Creon is also forced to make a choice between saving the city and saving the life of his son.