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Aeschylus 525 - 455 BC
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Image above:
Marble bust of
Aeschylus. JupiterImages |
Aeschylus was Athens' king of drama, a playwright, a
tragedian, an artist. His plays revolutionized the theater
experience for the Greeks.
Aeschylus' nickname was
Father of
Tragedy.
What was so special?
Aeschylus was the first to
set up more than one actor and a chorus in his plays. Thus far, it
had been just one guy acting out all the roles (wearing different masks)
and interacting with the chorus.
Aeschylus had many new ideas for stage settings and stage engineering. He also took the time to rehearse with his
actors in both, dialogue and choreography. Aeschylus, himself an
actor, was completely in the zone.
People who are able to read Aeschylus'
plays in their original language tell us that its language is intense,
powerful, and original. People who read Aeschylus' plays at all tell
us that their plots are peppered with many
twists.
Was Aeschylus a wuss?
Not at all.
Also
a soldier, Aeschylus fought for Athens in the Battles of
Marathon, Artemisium, and
Salamis.
Aeschylus' Family
Aeschylus' father was
Euphorion.
Aeschylus had a brother,
Cynaegeirus, or
Cynaegirus or Kynegeiros, who was killed in the Battle of
Marathon. Historian
Justin
is full of praise for Cynaegeirus,
read
Justin's report here.
Aeschylus had two sons, one of them was
named Euphorion Jr. Both sons also became successful
playwrights.
Aeschylus' Work
Aeschylus wrote about
90 plays and won many prizes for them. We know the titles of approx.
80 of them, but only 7 have survived.
472 BC -
Persians
467 BC - Seven Against Thebes
463 BC - Suppliants
458 BC - Oresteia Trilogy:
1
- Agamemnon
2
- Libation Bearers
3
- Eumenides
? BC - Prometheus Bound
Here you can read Aeschylus' works online and
free.
More History
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