combat, and the latter, over-persuaded by Creon to face his brother,
will not listen to the entreaties of his mother Jocasta. Polynices
similarly rejects his sister Antigone’s appeals. Heaven, earth and hell
are revolted by this detestably unnatural duel. The horrified Adrastus
endeavours in vain to part the brothers and retires to Argos. The
agonized intervention of Pietas descending from the skies is foiled by
the malignant Fury.
Thus, at last, half-way through the eleventh book, Statius makes the
two protagonists meet, with the result that the compression of the last
eleven hundred lines produces a much balder effect than that of the
more spacious books which precede. Both combatants die, Polynices being
mortally wounded, as he stoops to strip his rival. Creon, assuming the
crown, decrees that no invader is to be buried. Led by Antigone, Oedipus
laments over the bodies of his sons, and meditates suicide, which his
daughter prevents. Jocasta stabs herself, and is tended by Ismene. Then
Antigone’s intercession obtains a mitigation of Creon’s arrogant sentence
of exile launched at Oedipus. The remnants of the invading army disperse
to Adrastus’s dominions.