Aeschylus

I

Introduction

Aeschylus (525?-456 bc), Greek dramatist, the earliest of the great tragic poets of Athens. As the predecessor of Sophocles and Euripides, he is called the father of Greek tragedy. Aeschylus is said to have written about 90 plays. We know the titles of about 80 of these plays, but only seven complete plays by Aeschylus have survived.

Aeschylus introduced a second actor to Greek tragedy, thereby creating the possibility of dramatic dialogue that advances the plot of a play. He also elaborated the staging of the drama, introducing costumes and scenery. Characteristic of his plays is the profundity of their themes and the grandeur of the poetry recited by the chorus. The three plays known collectively as the Oresteia, probably his greatest work, provide an insight into Aeschylus’s concepts of justice and mercy and his belief in a divine will, which can help humanity achieve wisdom through suffering.

II

Aeschylus’s Life

Our knowledge of Aeschylus’s life comes mainly from prefatory material attached to an 11th-century manuscript of his work. Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, near Athens. His father was a member of the Athenian nobility. Aeschylus fought successfully against the Persian armies at the Battle of Marathon in 490 bc, a fact that was noted with pride on his tombstone. He probably also fought in 480 bc at the Battle of Salamís, of which his play The Persians contains an eyewitness account, and possibly at Plataea the following year. He made at least two trips, perhaps three, to Sicily to produce his plays. During his final visit he died at Gela, where a monument was later erected in his memory.

III

Aeschylus’s Works

Aeschylus wrote his tragedies in the form of trilogies (groups of three) on a common theme, such as the fortune of the house (family line) of Laius. Whether Aeschylus was the first to produce such unified trilogies is unknown. But the form did permit a wider range for his thought than would otherwise have been possible. During performances each trilogy was followed by a satyr play, a comedy that mocked a mythological subject and included a chorus of satyrs.

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Although only seven of Aeschylus’s tragedies still exist, these seven were carefully selected late in ancient times. They may thus represent the best or the most characteristic of his plays. The surviving plays are The Persians, The Suppliants, Prometheus Bound, The Seven Against Thebes, and the three plays known as the Oresteia trilogy. The Oresteia comprises Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides.

A

The Persians

The Persians is the earliest of Aeschylus’s surviving plays. This historical tragedy about the Greek defeat of the Persians in the Battle of Salamís in 480 bc was first presented eight years later, in 472 bc. The play is set in Persia at the court of the mother of King Xerxes I, leader of the expedition against Greece, and it is told from the Persian point of view. A messenger arrives with news of the defeat and describes the battle in detail. Toward the end, the ghost of Darius, father of Xerxes, appears to say that pride has brought about the downfall of his impetuous son.

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