Seven Kings of Thebes

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The anchor verse of Canto XIV of the Inferno (v. 68) defines Capaneus as «l'un d'i sette regi», thus indicating that the blasphemous character belongs to the group of the seven kings who, according to the Greek myth narrated in the Thebaid of Statius, assailed Thebes. The authorized note to Canto XIV (v. 46) specifies that Capaneus is «one of the seven kings who assailed Thebes» and that Dante takes his image from Statius's «superum contemptor», the arrogant blasphemer of the gods who appears standing on the walls of Thebes. The same note clarifies that Capaneus is presented as an «exemplum» of human pride that rebels against God, and that Dante's novelty consists in placing this mythical figure alongside the characters of the city chronicle of his time. The anchor verse and the note thus converge in identifying the seven kings of Thebes as the group to which Capaneus belongs, placed by Dante in the infernal scene of Canto XIV. There are no further specifications, in the anchor verses and notes provided, regarding the individual members of the group.