Aeschylus' "Persians": The OG Greek Tragedy

Emily and Cam break down “The Persians”—the oldest surviving Greek tragedy, which offers a surprisingly sympathetic take on the enemies of Athens.

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Cover photo adapted from an image of the Salamis Soldiers' monument, by Ziegler175:

1. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SalamisPaloukiaSchlacht2.jpg

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00:10 - Introduction

01:43 - Aeschylus and his historical context

1. 01:56 - The subject of the play (and its peculiarity)
2. 03:06 - The Battle of Salamis and the Persian Wars
3. 05:10 - Aeschylus’ Career

06:22 - The Persians in performance

1. 06:30 - The Dionysia of 472 BCE and Aeschylus’ tetralogy
2. 08:35 - Pericles as producer (choregos)
3. 09:09 - A synopsis of the play
4. 11:12 - The structure of Greek Tragedies (or, how do we know that the Persians only needs two actors apart from the chorus?)

14:03 - Interpreting the play: sympathy for the Persians?

1. 15:06 - The survival of the play: evidence of its popularity?
2. 16:04 - Triumphalism vs. a recognition of common experience
3. 17:06 - Differences between Greek and Persians in the play: archers vs. spearmen, autocracy vs. autonomy, proskynesis and lamentation
4. 20:36 - Aeschylus argues for common experiences: the Persians as Homeric heroes, the horrors and the costs of battle, and Aeschylus’ rejection of the “effeminate Persians” trope

26:37 - The play’s main theme: empire and hubris

1. 27:00 - Xerxes and his bad decisions
2. 27:56 - The gods’ desire to punish Xerxes
3. 28:53 - The hubris of Xerxes, or the hubris of the Empire? (Featuring Emily’s rant about hubris in ancient and modern thought)
4. 34:27 - Aeschylus, the gods, and Athenian imperialism
5. 36:55 - The social function of tragedy: thinking through big problems
6. 37:28 - What staging the Persians can tell us about the play

39:12 - Wrap-up