The Persians and Other Plays: The Persians / Prometheus Bound / Seven Against Thebes / The SuppliantsAeschylus (525-456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. The Persians, the only Greek tragedy to deal with events from recent Athenian history, depicts the final defeat of Persia in the battle of Salamis, through the eyes of the Persian court of King Xerxes, becoming a tragic lesson in tyranny. In Prometheus Bound, the defiant Titan Prometheus is brutally punished by Zeus for daring to improve the state of wretchedness and servitude in which mankind is kept. Seven Against Thebes shows the inexorable downfall of the last members of the cursed family of Oedipus, while The Suppliants relates the pursuit of the fifty daughters of Danaus by the fifty sons of Aegyptus, and their final rescue by a heroic king. |
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Aegyptus Aeschylean Tragedy Aeschylus altar Amphiaraus Amymone ancient Antigone Apollo Argive Argos Aristophanes army Asia Athenian Athens battle bird brother chariot CHORUS Classical Cronus curse Danaids Danaus daughters death destined disaster divine earth Egyptians enemy escort ETEOCLES Euripides evil eyes fate father fear gate GHOST OF DARIUS Glaucus of Potniae gods Greece Greek hands hear heart HEPHAESTUS Heracles HERALD Hermes Herodotus Hesiod honour horses Iliad Ionian killed King Laius lament land later maidens marriage MESSENGER mind mortals mother never numbers Oceanus Oedipus Oxford PELASGUS perished Persians Phrynichus play Polyneices probably production Prometheus Bound Prometheus the Fire-Bearer QUEEN reference river Salamis satyr drama SECOND SEMICHORUS SEMICHORUS Seven Against Thebes shield ship sons of Aegyptus Sophocles speak spear Sphinx story sufferings Suppliants tell tetralogy Theban Themistocles Theogony tragic trilogy Unbound utter victory women words wretched Xerxes Zeus