You ask me why I have declared such harsh law?

I ask you, is it fair that I treat both brothers equally when one was loyal to his state while the other was traitorous? Does he, who left our city in a state of destruction, chaos, and misery, deserve to be honored? Does he, who dared ally with others and attack his own hometown, deserve to be honored...? He who committed treason...? No. This is inconceivable. Polynices must be punished for he has lost the respect of Thebes once he spilled the blood of his own blood. He is a traitor—the enemy of the state. Polynices' corpse deserves to be defiled and humiliated while Eteocles' honored. This is the only way to right the wrong that Polynices has committed. This is justice.

Thebes needs to return to a state of normalcy. To peace. Justice. We cannot afford to let our city fall into the hands of a traitor and disrupt this stability once again. We cannot afford anymore death nor misery. We need order.