The Supernatural in the Tragedies of Euripides 63 



That Eteocles, tarrying wear the crown 

 One year — then change." (vv. 69-74.) 



See also 474-75; and 624, where the mother locaste admonishes 

 her sons : 



" Flee, O flee your father's curses ! " 



See also 765 and 1355. The fate imprecated upon the sons of 

 CEdipus is inevitable although the two sons fancied they could 

 outwit the Gods : 



" And CEdipus' sons, who fain had cloaked it over 

 With time, as though they could outrun the Gods, 

 In folly erred" (vv. 872-74). 



The chorus exclaim : 



Phoen. 1425-26 : 



(jtev <t>ev, KaKUJV awv, OidiTrov, a' oacov arevw 

 ras eras d' apas eoiKev e/cTrXijcat deos. 



"Alas! I wail thy sore griefs, CEdipus! 

 Thy malisons, I wot, hath God fulfilled." 



From these passages we learn that destiny can be aroused by the 

 human will in a curse, and in this case the curse becomes a part 

 of destiny and sways the fate of its victims. In vv. 1595 ff. 

 CEdipus speaks of a hereditary transmission of the curse which 

 works down to the grandchildren and even utterly extirpates a 

 race : 



Phoen. 1608-14: 



KTavihv 8' ejJiavTov irarep' 6 bvcrbaifMOiv €70) 



ets iJ.r)Tp6s rfk&ov ttjs TaXaLircopov Xexos, 



TToidas r' adeXipovs 'ireKov, ovs awcoXeaa. 



apas TrapaXa/Scbf Aai'oi; Kal Traial 8ovs. k. t. X. 



" So mine own father did I slay, and came, — 

 Ah wretch ! — unto mine hapless mother's couch. 

 Sons I begat, my brethren, and destroyed, 

 Passing to them the curse of Laius. 

 For not so witless am I from the birth. 

 As to devise these things against mine eyes 

 And my sons' life, but by the finger of God." 



117 



