The Persians by Aeschylus
The Tragedy
For Carol Anderini, PhD, Dr. Walter Nicipor, PhD, and Edward Axtman, MFA
The Persians is one of the earliest dramas we have so it is hard to look at it as innovative but it is the first and only play with a contemporary setting and characters. The play is very much based on long odes of the chorus and actors and there is dialog between the characters and the chorus. As well there are strophe and antistrophe calls and response between the chorus is a pre-dialog form g, but two characters having an interaction does not occur in the Persian. This gives the Persian a two dimensional feel.
Yet it is full of subtleties, Xerxes is at first not named at first and his accomplishments are mixed by this mothers and chorus dread at his on coming ruin. He is detached from the city and has damaged the nation and its succor the Persian Army and Navy. The messenger confirms this and the chorus and Atossa mourn the loss of the army. She goes to get offering in the form of libations to conjure up the ghost of Darius. She is effective and calls Darius’s Ghost who again askes for repetition of what we already know. Darius is detached from our world and as he hears of the Persian’s defeat he decries the folly of his son, this is intresting to me as Darius was preparing for this invasion when he died and Xerxes inherited the situation from his father, but the main theme is Darius has no better recourse than to lament the loss. Atossa has gone off stage to get Xerxes new robes and finery so that he does not have to go into the city in disgrace.
Yet Darius disappears disappointed and without any advice or sympathy for his son. Darius can do nothing the help Xerxes and departs just prior to Xerxes entrance to the stage. Xerxes enters in rags, he again laments his loss and he is not given new finery as his mother and him do not cross paths in the play he does not have Darius advice, he has the shame of entering the city in rags and defeat and not even his pedigree can erase the tragedy.
This is also a play about the celebration of the Greek victory, Aeschylus’ epitaph is that he fought well at Salamis. The Greek victory over overwhelming forces of the father, Darius, at Marathon and son, Xerxes, at Salamis and the generals defeated and destroyed are called out in detail, also the fact that Xerxes (unlike Darius) watched the defeat at the site of battle. The play seems to take Darius as the larger threat and Xerxes as the final threat, Xerxes is allegedly the one who did not learn an inter- generational lesson and is bound by his crime of calling forth Ate’.
Note Darius Ghost’s reveal would have been an interesting effect to the Greeks using some mechanism to make him appear out of the grave.
Of course it is worth reading and it is where we start this reading of the tragedy, next the three plays of the Oresteia. I was happy with James Romm translation ( I am using this translation to read 16 new translations), I can also recommend Richmond Latimore's fine translation as well.
(Meta Score for re-readability 72/100, I have read it many more times than the score seems to signify)
In Greek mythology, Ate, Até or Aite (/ˈeɪtiː/; Ancient Greek: Ἄτη) was the goddess of mischief, delusion, ruin, and blind folly, rash action and reckless impulse who led men down the path of ruin. She also led both gods and men to rash and inconsiderate actions and to suffering.
Disclaimer this project is not for financial gain or for any commercial purposes. It is self funded.
Ernest Boehm Cardinal Meunch Seminary /NDSU Classical Languages 1993, BS