Aeschylus
Greek · Drama · Tragedy
7 works · 15,046 aligned sentences
Birth: 525 BC / Death: 456 BC
Elefsina → Gela · tragedy writer · warrior · playwright
πάθει μάθος.
Learning through suffering.
Agamemnon 177
Agamemnon
This tragedy depicts the return of Agamemnon, the victorious Greek commander of the Trojan War, the brutal assassination that awaits him, and the relentless cycle of blood curses haunting the House of Atreus. Set in front of the palace of Argos, the play begins as the Chorus reflects on the hardships of the expedition and the tragic sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter, Iphigenia. Upon his arrival, his queen, Clytemnestra, stages a grand but hypocritical welcome, persuading her hesitant husband to tread upon a luxurious purple tapestry that risks provoking the wrath of the gods. Meanwhile, the captive Trojan princess and prophetess, Cassandra, enters a state of prophetic frenzy, foreseeing the imminent murder of the king, her own death, and the future return of the avenger Orestes. Soon after, Agamemnon is slain inside the palace by Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus, who both proudly justify the regicide as a righteous act of vengeance. The drama concludes on an ominous note of unresolved tension, as the Chorus foretells future retribution while the new rulers assert their tyrannical control over Argos.
Drama17 chunks · §1-110–§1597-16732,963 aligned sentencesRead →Eumenides
This Greek tragedy depicts the fate of Orestes, who is pursued for the crime of matricide, and the historical transition from blood vengeance to a system of justice under the law. The drama begins at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, where Orestes, hunted by the Furies (Erinyes) incited by his mother's ghost, flees to Athens under Apollo's protection. To resolve this unprecedented conflict, the goddess Athena establishes the Areopagus court, a jury comprised of Athenian citizens. In the courtroom, a fierce debate unfolds between Apollo, defending Orestes, and the Furies, who demand retribution according to ancient laws. Ultimately, Athena casts the deciding vote to acquit Orestes, and she successfully persuades the wrathful Furies to remain as the "Eumenides" (the Kindly Ones), protectors of Athens, bringing the tragedy to a peaceful and prosperous conclusion.
Drama11 chunks · §1-83–§928-10471,717 aligned sentencesRead →Prometheus Bound
This Greek tragedy centers on the Titan Prometheus, who is chained to a desolate cliff at the edge of the world as punishment for angering the supreme god Zeus by bestowing fire and the arts of civilization upon humanity. The play begins with Prometheus being bound to the rock by Zeus's agents, after which he converses with the sympathetic Chorus of Oceanids. Refusing all offers of mediation and advice to submit, Prometheus remains steadfast in his defiance of Zeus's tyranny. The arrival of Io, a mortal maiden transformed into a heifer and tormented by Hera's wrath, deepens the drama as Prometheus prophesies her long wanderings and reveals that her descendant will eventually become his savior. In the climax, the messenger Hermes demands that Prometheus reveal a secret threatening Zeus's throne, but Prometheus proudly refuses to submit. Ultimately, as the play concludes, Prometheus is cast into the underworld amidst thunder and tectonic upheaval, crying out against the injustice of his suffering.
Drama12 chunks · §1-85–§998-10932,338 aligned sentencesRead →Seven Against Thebes
This Greek tragedy depicts the conflict between two brothers cursed by their father, Oedipus, and the desperate battle for the survival of their homeland, Thebes. Set within the besieged city, the drama begins with the tense interactions between King Eteocles and the chorus of terrified Theban women. As a messenger reports on the seven enemy commanders and the designs on their shields, Eteocles strategically assigns defender generals to each of the city's seven gates. Upon learning that his own brother, Polyneices, stands at the seventh gate, Eteocles realizes the inevitability of their family curse yet resolves to face him in single combat. Ultimately, while the city of Thebes is saved from destruction, the two brothers slay each other in a fatal clash. The play concludes with their sisters, Antigone and Ismene, mourning the tragedy, and Antigone's defiant vow to bury Polyneices in violation of the state decree, foreshadowing further familial doom.
Drama10 chunks · §1-95–§976-10841,930 aligned sentencesRead →The Libation Bearers
This Greek tragedy centers on the fateful theme of avenging the murder of Agamemnon. Orestes, returning from exile, experiences a miraculous reunion with his sister Electra at their father’s grave, where they swear to exact vengeance in accordance with Apollo’s oracle. Together with the chorus, they invoke the aid of their father’s spirit and devise a plan to infiltrate the palace disguised as travelers. Orestes uses a false report of his own death to disarm his targets, successfully slaying the usurper Aegisthus. He then confronts his mother, Clytemnestra, and though he hesitates, he ultimately executes her under the guidance of the oracle. Although Orestes attempts to justify his matricide, he is soon driven to madness by the terrifying apparitions of his mother's Furies (Erinyes). The drama concludes with Orestes fleeing to Delphi for purification, leaving the chorus to ponder the unresolved curse that plagues their royal house.
Drama11 chunks · §1-106–§989-10762,079 aligned sentencesRead →The Persians
This Greek tragedy depicts the catastrophic defeat of the Persian Empire at the Battle of Salamis, uniquely told from the perspective of the defeated Persians. Set in the Persian capital of Susa, the drama begins with the Queen Mother Atossa and the chorus of Persian elders anxiously awaiting news of King Xerxes’ expedition. Their fears are realized when a messenger arrives to deliver a devastating, detailed report of the fleet's destruction and the army's agonizing retreat. In her desperation, Atossa summons the ghost of her late husband, King Darius, who emerges from the underworld to condemn his son Xerxes' reckless hubris and predict further ruin for the empire. Finally, Xerxes himself returns in tattered garments, and the play concludes with a poignant, ritualistic lamentation shared between the ruined king and the chorus, mourning the loss of their imperial glory.
Drama10 chunks · §1-143–§932-10761,961 aligned sentencesRead →The Suppliants
This tragedy depicts the urgent supplication of the Danaids, the fifty daughters of Danaus, who flee to Argos in Greece to escape an unwanted forced marriage to their Egyptian cousins. Arriving in foreign attire, the daughters prove their Argive lineage as descendants of Io and appeal to King Pelasgus of Argos for protection. The King faces an agonizing dilemma: refusing their sacred supplication would provoke the wrath of the gods, yet granting it risks dragging his city into a devastating war with Egypt. Driven by the daughters' desperate threats of suicide, the King takes the matter to the citizens, who unanimously vote to grant them sanctuary as free residents. Their relief is short-lived, however, as the Egyptian fleet arrives, and a hostile herald attempts to drag the women away by force. King Pelasgus intervenes just in time to repel the herald and welcome the women into the city, but the play concludes with a mix of gratitude for their temporary safety and a lingering, fearful premonition of the inevitable conflict and marriage.
Drama10 chunks · §1-136–§967-10732,058 aligned sentencesRead →