Adrastus, the king of Argos who authorized the expedition, lies weeping on the floor surrounded by the sons of the slain warriors.

The old women beg Aethra for help, evoking images of their sons’ unburied bodies and appealing to her sympathy as a mother.

Adrastus explains that he supported the attack on Thebes, against the advice of the seer Amphiaraus, in deference to his sons-in-law, Tydeus and Polynices.

Admitting his mistakes, Adrastus appeals to Theseus as the ruler of the only city with the integrity and the power to stand up to Thebes.

She reminds her son that he has a duty to uphold the ancient laws of Hellas and warns him that his refusal might be interpreted as cowardice.

Confident that the people will support him, he and his mother set out for home, followed by Adrastus and the sons of the slain warriors, while the suppliant women pray that Theseus will prevail.

When Theseus tells him that Athens is not ruled by a despot, but by the people, the herald adopts a disparaging tone.

His city, he tells Theseus, is ruled by one man, not by an ignorant mob that is easily swayed by specious words.

"[4] Theseus reminds the herald that he does not take orders from Creon and asserts his right to uphold the ancient customs of Hellas regarding the recovery of the corpses.

His sentiments are echoed by Adrastus who questions why men choose war instead of settling their disputes with reason.

At Theseus’ suggestion, Adrastus delivers a funeral oration in which he offers the fallen warriors as models for the Athenian youth to emulate.

He describes Capaneus, for example, as a paragon of moderation and Eteoclus as a man of such high honor that he spurned offers of gold to avoid corrupting his character.

The women continue their lament (“like some wandering cloud I drift”; “I have nothing left but tears.”) Suddenly, they spot Capaneus’ wife Evadne in her bridal dress climbing the rocks above her husband’s sepulcher.

After enjoining Theseus to memorialize the pledge at the temple of Apollo, she tells the young men that they will grow up to avenge the death of their fathers by sacking Thebes.

The Suppliants takes this characteristic even further, showing a whole city willing to wage war in order to retrieve the bodies of strangers.