Black Fate- Analysis of Aeschylus The Persians - 799 Words

Aeschylus play, The Persians, took place at the Persian Royal Palace in Susa. It depicted the emotional response of the Persian Elders, the Queen Mother Atossa, a herald, King Xerxes, and the ghost of Darius upon hearing the news of the Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis against the Greeks. The play began with a conversation amongst the Persians elders about their war with the Greeks. They possessed grave trepidations because of a lack of news from the front. This fear stemmed from the great risk King Xerxes took by calling all the heroes and soldiers of the Persian Empire to fight in Greece. At first, they were confident of their victory, describing their forces as an unconquerable ocean of men. However, their fear persisted of their forces decimation. Later on, the Queen Mother, Atossa appeared before the Elders with an ominous vision. She acquired about the land and personality of the Greeks while the Elders reassured her of their armys success. When Atossa was about to leav e to make sacrifices to the gods, a herald entered the palace with horrific news. The Persian forces was decimated by the smaller Greek forces at the Salamis, almost all of their heroes were dead, but Xerxes was still alive. Upon hearing the description of the battles carnage, the Elders and the Queen Mother broke out into agony and mourned the loss of their men at Salamis. The group professes how the Persians were cursed with Black Fate, and the gods willed the victory of the Greeks.