| The Phoenician Women | |
|---|---|
 Farewell of Oedipus to the Corpses of His Wife and Sons by Édouard Toudouze | |
| Written by | Euripides |
| Chorus | Phoenician Women |
| Characters | Jocasta Tutor Antigone Polynices Eteocles Creon Teiresias Menoeceus First Messenger Second Messenger Oedipus |
| Mute | daughter of Teiresias guards attendants |
| Place premiered | Athens |
| Original language | Ancient Greek |
| Genre | Tragedy |
| Setting | Before 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.