Greeks Flashcards
Greek victory
A key theme of play (even though the focus is on Persians, we are still thinking about Greeks and how they beat Persians in order to create plotline for play)
[although do get some sympathy for them from universal motif of grief]
reason for Persian loss but quite smug audience
“Athens - a name of anguish in our memory! Most hateful”
Athenocentric
“Athens once conquered, he is the master of Hellas”
-> v Athenocentric idea in order to please Athenian audience (how Athens viewed themselves - hub of Greece)
Greek view of Persia
play = by a Greek man so an insight into Greek views of Persian people
- > allows us to see how Greeks were obsessed Persia (think P obsessed with G)
- > everything we read has been deliberately placed there by a Greek man
- > performed to Athenian audience to please them £££
View of Persian monarchy as stifling “tore the harness from the car, threw off the bridle”
Persian view of Greeks
(Greek view of Persian view of Greeks)
seen as strange by Persians - Atossa shock at lack of monarchy
-> Greek doing that to make Persia seem clueless & big up ‘little old Greece’ victory
Atossa knows v little about Athens (they believed themselves to be unimportant to Persia - humble compared to luxury loving Persia) “where by men’s reports is Athens built?”
Greek view of themselves
view themselves as free, democratic people (e.g. Parados -> no mention of Greeks but lots of Persians who are obsessed with wealth and luxury)
Atossa dream and vision how Greece see themselves (small but powerful - falcon vs eagle)
never mentioned once by name (humble and Persia = not knowledgeable)
Greece as great
use spears which = brave and not cowardly like bow and arrow using Persians
“they carry stout shields and light hand-to-hand with spears”
“they have men who once struck Persian arms a fearful blow”
-powerful warriors who win war (Marathon) -> Greek victory (good tactics)
messenger speech: catalogue of Persian dead -> Greeks = great @ war & tactics and fighting
had fewer ships: smaller but better “a thousand” vs “three hundred”
big up Greek people “while she has men, a city’s bulwarls stand unmoved”
Greeks = organised
“piercing battle cry”
“courageous hearts”
“single pulse”
skilful:
“cut and carved their limbs like butchers”
“never set arms in motion against Hellene soil. You cannot win; the land fights on their side”
How reliable is Aeschylus’ portrayal?
represents Greeks through eyes of Persians - interesting indication of how Greeks might imagine that the Persians see them
