Thyestes

Thyestes is a first century AD fabula crepidata (Roman tragedy with Greek subject) of approximately 1612 lines of verse by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, which tells the story of Thyestes, who ate his own children who were slaughtered and served at a banquet by his brother Atreus.In Greek mythology, Thyestes (pronounced /&thΗaɪˈɛstiːz/, Greek: &ThΗΥέΣΤΗς, [tʰyéstɛːs]) was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia. He was a king of Olympia and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus. Thyestes and his brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus, in their desire for the throne of Olympia. They took refuge in Mycenae, where they ascended the throne upon the absence of King Eurystheus, who was fighting the Heracleidae. Eurystheus had meant for their lordship to be temporary; it became permanent because of his death in conflict.The most popular representation of Thyestes is that of the play Thyestes by Seneca in 62 AD. This play is one of the originals for the revenge tragedy genre. Although inspired by Greek mythology and legend, Seneca's version is different.