Aeschylus
The Greek playwright Aeschylus was known as “the Father of Tragedy.” He revolutionized how plays were performed. His award winning plays were mostly about the Greek wars. His themes showed the relationship between man and the gods.
Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, Athens in 525 B.C. He grew up in a wealthy, noble family in Athens. When Aeschylus was a child, he had a dream. In his dream, the god of wine, Dionysus, told him to write tragedies. The next morning, he began writing a play. In 490 B.C., Aeschylus fought in the Battle of Marathon. Ten years later, in 480 B.C., he fought in the Battle of Salamis. Many of his plays were based on his battle experiences. Throughout his life, Aeschylus entered annual contests where he competed against Euripides and Sophocles to see whose plays were the best. He entered at least twenty times in his life, and won as many as eleven of them.
Aeschylus’ plays were revolutionary. He was the first playwright to use a second actor. Previously, plays consisted of one actor changing clothes and masks to become different characters. Also, he involved the chorus directly in the action of the plays. They would talk to the actors and physically interact with them.
Aeschylus’ first famous play was the Persians . Its themes are the enjoyment of life and the effects of hubris. This play has great historical importance. It is one of the only accounts of the Persian War by a soldier who participated in the war. His other famous and surviving plays are the Suppliants , Seven Against Thebes , and three parts of the Oresteia .
Throughout his life, Aeschylus often traveled to Sicily. He died there in 456 B.C. when an eagle, mistaking his head for a stone, dropped a tortoise on it. His death was predicted by the oracle Valerius Maximus. The oracle predicted Aeschylus would die at the hands of an object falling on his head on a certain date. Aeschylus, believing in fate, did not try to avoid being outside in Sicily on the date of his predicted death. On his gravestone was the quote “This gravestone covers Aeschylus, son of Euphorion, from Athens, who died in fertile Gela. The field of Marathon will speak of his bravery, and so will the longhaired Mede who learnt it well.” This was written by Aeschylus himself before his death. Although Aeschylus was known for his tragedies, he wanted to be remembered as a soldier.
Aeschylus, the “Father of Tragedy”, revolutionized Greek plays. He wrote between seventy and ninety plays in his lifetime, although only seven of them survive today. Aeschylus’ religious and moral beliefs showed up in his works. He had faith in the gods and understood fate’s role in life. In his play Agamemnon , the first part of the Oresteia , is the passage:
“Wisdom comes through suffering.
Trouble, with its memories of pain,
Drips in our hearts as we try to sleep,
So men against their will
Learn to practice moderation.
Favors come to us from gods.”
This passage really shows Aeschylus beliefs about life.
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