Capaneus

Capaneus is presented in the Greek mythic cycle as a son of Hipponous and a member of the expedition of the Seven against Thebes. He appears in tragic treatments (Aeschylus, Euripides) and in Roman epic (Statius). Genealogically he is tied into heroic lineages (father of Sthenelus in the traditions cited) and married in the narratives to Evadne (traditions vary on some familial details in different sources). His most famous narrative moment is his assault on the walls of Thebes, where his boasting against the gods brings immediate divine retribution.

Sources emphasize Capaneus's exceptional bodily size and great strength. Aeschylus (as reported in the summaries) gives him a shield bearing the image of a man without armour withstanding fire, holding a torch, and inscribed with the threat 'I will burn the city.' Beyond these points, the supplied materials do not give a detailed portrait of face, hair, or armor beyond the noted shield motif.

Capaneus is depicted as an outstanding and formidable mortal warrior and military leader (the narrative tradition credits him with great strength and prowess). A late technical attribution in the sources (Vegetius, as reported) refers to him as the first to use ladders in a siege, a historicizing remark rather than a supernatural power. His defining behaviour is arrogant defiance of the gods, most famously taunting that Zeus could not prevent his assault — a boast that leads to his death by thunderbolt while mounting a ladder.