Aeschylus' Persians
- Created by: Hermione23
- Created on: 09-06-20 16:16
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- Aeschylus' Persians
- Author
- Witnessed:
- Removal of Peisistratus from power
- Killing of the tyrants
- Removal of Hippias
- Persian wars
- Fought at battle of Salamis and Marathon
- Died in Gela, Sicily
- Born in Eleusis- small town in Attika
- Father of "Tragedy"
- 7/90 plays survived
- Witnessed:
- Context of play
- Performed in 472 BC
- 18 Years after Marathon
- 8 Years after Salamis
- 7 Years after Plataea
- Religious and civic links
- Theatre of Dionysius on the slopes of the Acropolis
- Celebration of the defeat of the Persians
- Pericles was the choregos (funded parts of the production)
- Themistocles probably funded the play as he was becoming isolated in Athenian politics and wanted to remind people of his contribution to the victory of Persian wars
- Theme of Persians:
- Focus on hubris
- Xerxes
- Darius
- Set in Susa on of capitals of Persia
- Chorus comprised of elderly advisers of Persian court
- Sub Theme of elderly people being trusted/wise
- Celebration of Greek victory
- obeyed through fear
- Xerxes portrayed as a bad leader
- Greek society seen as superior to Persian
- Gods not on Persian side
- Negative omens in Attossa' s dream
- Deserved to lose because of their inferior performance in battle
- Focus on hubris
- Theme: Freedom
- Greeks thoughts represented through eyes of Persians
- Chorus explains that the Greek have no masters
- Attossa unable to help Xerxes, her son
- Persians are whipped and motivated by fear
- Could the defeat for the Persians mean freedom from Xerxes
- Theme: War
- Persia is stripped of its men
- Attossa is unable to command
- Because she is a woman?
- Xerxes is consumed with grief and embarrassment
- Theme: Hubris/Pride
- Too much celebration
- Xerxes overreach is similar to Delian League which developed into the Athenian Empire
- Any nation will be defeated if it allows arrogance and pride to over-ride its government
- Greece wounded Persia's pride
- Xerxes belived he was unbeatable largely to the fact that his armies put down rebellions in Egypt and Babylon
- Xerxes has a false sense of reality
- Xerxes hubris is why Darius ghost is introduced- warns him about his pride and acts as a voice of God to cease attacks at Greece
- Characters:
- Attossa: Queen, Xerxes moter
- Never in stage with Xerxes
- Panicked at the start then shows wisdom
- Tragic figure, nothing works for her
- Widow
- When she learnt of the humiliating defeat she was in a deep state of denial
- Her grief inspired the conjuring of the ghost of Darius
- Darius: dead, king of Persia
- Powerful and respected. Icon of leadership
- Chorus refuse to address him
- Shocked by Xerxes actions
- Human-> appalled at the loss of life, concerned for Xerxes
- Juxtaposeses Xerxes by virtue
- Xerxes: King of Persia
- Survives whilst many Persians didn't
- Grief and shame
- Blames the gods, dosnt see own failings
- shadow of his former self, introduced as a fallen hero
- Chorus: Advisors
- Describe the action, offer advice
- Intimidated and afraid
- Anxious about safety of the empire
- Metaphor to represent normal people, Their ideas often contrast to those of the elders
- Attossa: Queen, Xerxes moter
- Modern Scholarship:
- Hall E "Its beyond doubt an absolutely truthful record of the ways in which the Athenians liked to think about their great enemy, and a monument to Aeschylus' poetic inventiveness however 'racist' it may seem, in his invocation of Persia"
- Hall E "In this play at least the argument runs, Aeschylus implies not that men are subject to same laws, but that the barbarian character in contrast with the free and disciplined Hellene is luxuriant and materialistic, emotional, impulsive and despotic and therefore especially liable to excess and its consequences."
- Hanson, V.D "deliberate dependence on face-to-face killing at close range explains another universal object if distain in Greek literature: those who fight from afar... above all the archer."
- Plot
- Recounts the Persian response to news of their military defeat under Xerxes at battle of Salamis
- Set in 480 BC
- Theme: Revenge
- Attack on Greece motivated by revenge
- Xerxes anger festers and clouds his judgment
- Sub theme is the foolishness of acting out of revenge
- Darius highlights that seeking victory out of vengeance can never succeed and only brings more death and loss
- Motifs:
- Darius' ghost:
- symbol of the unhappiness of the Gods and the fact the Empire cant yet be trusted to Xerxes
- He admonishes Xerxes for his arrogance and being blinded by revenge
- Admonishes his son for thinking he is wiser than the Gods
- His appearance symbolises that the empire still needs a king and it was safer when he ruled
- A vote of no confidence for Xerxes from his family and advisors
- Being Widowed
- The end of youth and the end of hope
- Whilst still with her husband the bride has hope and so much to look forward to
- Symbolises and ending to all that is pretty and positive abut her youth
- Darius' ghost:
- Irony:
- Xerxes army was defeated even though it was better prepared, more soldiers, was better armed
- Xerxes compared to his dead father, Many wish to have Darius as king even if that meant having a corpse as a ruler
- Xerxes points out at the end of the play he wasn't the one who started the war, it was his fathers orders.
- Persian army seen as one of the most loyal armies, yet Xeroxes faced disobedience from his own soldiers
- Author
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