Ἐτεοκλῆς παραλαβὼν τὴν ἐν Θήβαις βασιλείαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν Πολυνείκην ἀπεστέρησε τοῦ δικαίου. φυγὰς δὲ ἐκεῖνος εἰς Ἄργος παραγενόμενος ἔγημε θυγατέρα τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀδράστου· κατελθεῖν δὲ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα φιλοτιμούμενος καὶ τὸν πενθερὸν πεῖσας στρατὸν ἀξιόχρεων συνήθροισεν ἐπὶ Θῆβας. ἡ δὲ μήτηρ αὐτῶν ἔπεισεν αὐτὸν ὑπόσπονδον εἰς τὴν πόλιν παραγενέσθαι, δεινοπροσωπήσαντος δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς τυραννίδος Ἐτεοκλέους οὐκ ἠδύνατο τὰ τέκνα συναγαγεῖν εἰς φιλίαν· Πολυνείκης δὲ παραταξόμενος ἐχωρίσθη.
Τειρεσίας δὲ ἔχρησε νικήσειν τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐὰν ὁ Κρέοντος υἱὸς Μενοικεὺς φάγιον Ἄρει γένηται. ὁ μὲν οὖν νεανίσκος ἑκουσίως ἑαυτὸν ἀπέσφαξεν· Θηβαῖοι δὲ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τῶν Ἀργείων ἔτεφξαντο· Ἐτεοκλῆς δὲ καὶ Πολυνείκης μονομαχήσαντες ἀλλήλους ἀνείλον. ἡ μὲν οὖν μήτηρ αὐτῶν νεκροὺς εὑροῦσα τοὺς παῖδας ἑαυτὴν προσεπέσφαξεν, ὁ δὲ ταύτης ἀδελφὸς Κρέων παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν· οἱ δὲ Ἀργεῖοι τῇ μάχῃ τρωθέντες ἀπεχώρησαν.
Κρέων δὲ παρρησιαστικώτερον τῇ τύχῃ χρώμενος τοὺς μὲν ὑπὸ τῇ Καδμείᾳ τῶν πολεμίων πεσόντας εἰς ταφὴν οὐκ ἔδωκεν, Πολυνείκην δὲ ἀκήδευτον ἔρριψεν, Οἰδίποδα δὲ φυγάδα τῆς πόλεως ἀπέστελεν, ἐφ' ὧν μὲν οὐ φυλάξας τὸν ἀνθρώπινον νόμον, ἐφ' ὧν δὲ τὴν ὀργὴν οὐ λοιπογραφήσας οὐδὲ τοὺς παρὰ το ( ) δυςτυχεῖς ἐλεήσας.
Eteocles, having assumed the kingship in Thebes, deprived his brother Polynices of his rightful share. Polynices, exiled, went to Argos where he married the daughter of King Adrastus. Desiring to return to his homeland, and having persuaded his father-in-law, he gathered a capable army to march against Thebes. Their mother persuaded Polynices to enter the city under a truce, but when Eteocles showed a fearsome determination to retain his rule, she was unable to reconcile her sons. Polynices withdrew for battle.
The seer Tiresias prophesied that the Thebans would be victorious if Menoeceus, the son of Creon, were to be sacrificed to Ares. The young man willingly took his own life. The Thebans then killed the Argive leaders in battle. Eteocles and Polynices fought in single combat and killed one another. Their mother, upon finding their corpses, slew herself. Her brother Creon then assumed the throne. The Argives, wounded in the battle, retreated.
Creon, boldly abusing his fortune, refused burial to those of the enemy who had fallen beneath the Cadmea. He left Polynices unburied, and exiled Oedipus from the city. Thus he neither upheld human law nor tempered his anger, showing no mercy to the unfortunate.