Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
set texts - Coggle Diagram
set texts
The Persians by Aeschylus
intro:
lived roughly from 525 - 456
known as the father of tragedy
considered to be innovative for having more than 1 actor on stage with the chorus at one time
fought at Marathon where his brother died in battle
wrote the radical play "the persians" which is told from the persian POV and based on contemporary events
stage built was partly from leftover Persian tents from the war & in the background of the stage would have been the Acropolis which was recently sacked.
the play won 1st prize in 472 BC and was so popular it was brought back and performed the year later
the play uses binary opposites
Aims of their works
to win the competition
moral and religious message
perhaps influenced by personal experience of war
develops an audiences critical thinking skills which was important for the development of democracy because it was the people who made decisions rather than one informed individual
partly due to the genre of tragedy - tragedy usually has a message behind it
Athenian Glorification
while it conflicts with the theme of tragedy because grief of persians creates pity, and the anger is channeled to Xerxes, but also creates guilt surrounding victory
Athenian audience for the Play and overall priority was most likely to win
interpretations of the play
tragedy
typical drama to create emotional response
Edith Hall "humanist tragedy of universal significance"
emphasises relation with the gods and punishment of hubris
Spectacle of Athenian Patriotism
political propaganda in favour of Athens - during the time when they were promoting the hellenic league
Athenian praise to win the competition
democracy triumphs over Tyranny
Founding document of Athenian Nationalism
helps to define what an Athenian is - opposites of persians
themes of the play suggest pro-athenian nationalism (culture, values etc.)
possible warning of Hubris
beliefs (what it shows about persians)
Xerxes is hubristic
persians have more primordial deities which abandon them for the crimes against nature
persian customs are different
worshipping of humans as if they are gods
greetings
clothing
greeks are not bothered about putting their own gods into barbarian cultures
Histories by Herodotus (Set Text on Classroom)
intro:
Father of history for his inquiries
Born in Halicarnassus
part of the Persian empire
spent most of his writing time within athens though
he is widely travelled
lived through the 1st persian invasion
reported all his discoveries within his book
some call him the father of lies due to his lack of searching for the truth.
however he does provide some opinions and insight to the events recorded
lived from around 490 - 425 BC (slightly older gen than Aeschylus)
aims of his work
interested in human achievement
preserving knowledge and what happened
barbarian and greek history
causes of the Greco Persian war
slight moral agenda/ message within work surrounding hubris
Ideas of gods, fate presented - fate is fixed and can't be avoided
key message is that man is weak and despite delusion of power, he is incapable of opposing the will of the gods
Xerxes is to a lesser extent set up by the gods to have his downfall because it is the fate of the persian empire
SCHOLLARS
Herodotus
"motivated by personal intellectual ambition"
"Father of lies"
agree because of the Anti-theban attitude due to their medising