Part Five. The Royal House of Thebes Summary and Analysis

The House of Thebes was in many ways as unlucky as the House of Atreus, but their troubles seemed a lot less deserved. It began with Cadmus, who founded the city of Thebes by killing a dragon and sowing its teeth. The teeth turned into armed warriors who fought until five remained. These five helped to build Thebes and make it a glorious city. Cadmus married Harmonia, the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, and had four daughters and one son. All these children met with tragedy, either dying in horrible ways or killing their own children. Most of these fates were brought about by their own disrespect for various gods, apart from Actaeon. He accidentally saw Artemis naked while bathing, and was turned into a stag and torn apart...