ETEOCLES (mythological king of Thebes)

When the war clouds gathered, Eteocles refused to surrender Thebes to the enemy, warning that yielding his scepter would be a disgrace to the city.^8,9 He dispatched scouts to observe the approaching Argive army and proposed terms for peace, but these offers were rejected by the opposing forces.^10,11 Instead of yielding, he decided to lead the Theban army out of the city to fight, personally defending one of the seven gates and arranging his forces in a specific battle formation.^12,9,13 Equipped with bronze armor by the lords of Thebes, he departed in full armor to confront the champions, issuing a rallying battle-cry to his troops.^14,15,16

The conflict between the brothers had roots in a prior agreement to rule Thebes in alternating one-year terms.^17,18 Refusing to cede the kingdom to Polyneices as previously agreed, he claimed a more just right to rule and seized the throne, forcing his brother into exile from their shared homeland.^{17,19,20,21,22,18,23} In his anger, he threatened to kill Polyneices with a spear in battle, viewing his brother as an enemy who had robbed him of his rightful share.^21,24,23 Eteocles issued a challenge that led to a duel, praying to the daughter of Zeus for victory before engaging in single combat to determine the ruler of Thebes.^25,26,27,28

In the chaos of the duel, the brothers killed each other, dying in a single day from mortal wounds sustained in their own violent actions.^{28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35} As he died, Eteocles placed his cold hand on his mother, showing his love through his eyes despite being unable to speak, his face marked by a clammy hand and moistened eyes.³⁵ His death was destined by fate, as he was doomed to die by the hand of his own brother, a prophecy that sealed his tragic end.^36,37

After the battle, Eteocles lay stretched out beside his brother, dead and still.^38,39 Creon ordered that Eteocles be given an honorable burial with sacred offerings according to custom, honoring the king even as he denied such rites to Polyneices.^32,31,24,33 In Statius, he is described as cruel and abominable, and he himself claimed that Justice did not acknowledge him from birth through early manhood and does not aid him now.^37,20 He had imprisoned his father Oedipus to hide his misfortune, and in doing so, both brothers had gone astray in trying to conceal their father's disgrace from the gods.^40,36