Themes Flashcards
Greek love of freedom
Atossa’s dream: Greeks and Persians are represented by two beautiful girls ‘sisters of the same race’
but the Greek girl breaks free of Xerxes’ yoke and the Persian does not
-> the Greek girl is violent and throws Xerxes to the ground
chorus explain to Atossa that the Greeks fight under no master (Atossa = suprised and is fearful for Persians who fight them)
messenger describes Persians who are forced to patrol straits on pain of death and the Greeks who charge joyfully into battle chanting slogans of freedom
Chorus and freedom
chorus incorrectly anticipate that freedom will break out across Persian empire following defeat at Salamis (perhaps overreacting)
-> expression of freedom is interesting - now that king’s strength has vanished his subjects will no longer pay tribute to him and will not be fearful of speaking out
- chorus are not able to speak minds in front of Darius despite their status and him being a ghost
Chorus and Xerxes
when he returns, they express little resentment towards him that had been earlier evident
BUT they feel able to give some of the blame for the disaster to him
Differences between the Persians and Greeks
stressed every time there is a list of Persian names
names sound outlandish to Greeks and despite shared experience of war, this will have reminded the audience that the Persians were different from them
list of Persians admirals is repeated by the chorus at begining and end of play and by contrast no Greek is mentioned in the play - emphasis placed on collective success of Greek/Athenian community (UNITY)
Impact of war
Persia= unmaned by war
Parados: young Persian brides left abandoned
Chorus = servie and sycophantic
Atossa = unable to take charge
Empire is lost without figurehead and when he returns he is consumed by grief and publically embarrasses himself wearing torn clothing
The play
too triumphalist to be tragic
play commemorates and even celebrates a Greek victory in battle only 8 years earlier
Athenians who played chief role in defeat would have watched play on wreckage recovered from Persian ship
Disarray
play shows disarray in once luxuriant and mighty PE, whose king is reduced to a ragged mourner
according to chorus, disarray will lead to widespread freedom and people will no longer have to pay tribute or bow before king - opinions will be given freely
Play about dangers of hubris
human nature will overreach itslef if not restrained and this will bring disaster
in 472BC when the play was produced, the Athenians were already developing ideas for thier own maritime empire - Delian League (from which Athenian Empire would later emerge) had been formed in 477BC
War
although Greeks had successfully repelled Persian invasion, this was not without loss and, even 8 years later, the Athenians must have looked back on the battles of 480BC with more sorrow than joy
Messenger recounts Persian admirals who would not retun - Athenain audience transfer this onto own dead
Wealth of Persian Empire
mentioned a number of times in the play
‘golden’ to describe Persian Empire appears twice in first nine lines of play
Atossa refers to ‘golden-furnished chamber’
Chorus mention young Persian wives waiting for news on their ‘silken beds’
Ngeatives of wealth
Atossa’s first speech - she is concerned that their vast wealth might overturn peace
Darius blames disaster at Salamis on Xerxes’ greed
Xerxes’ behaviour
his immoderate wealth and power have led to immoderate behaviour
-> bridging of Hellespont = arrogance
Chorus describe him putting a ‘yoke’ on the sea but Darius goes further
Darius talks of X’s atrmpt to defy nature and enslave the sea (such an unnatural act incurs the wrath of the gods - Darius mentions that Zeus punishes arrogant men)
Portents
Eventual disaster at Salamis is foreshaddowed by portents (urged Persians to specifically not fight at sea)
messenger explains that fury started battle and throughout the play the hatred of the gods is blamed for the defeat
Darius refers to the devestation of the Greek temples as an explanation for the gods’ support of the Greeks
