Aeschylus

=__//**Aeschylus**//__= __//**﻿**//__ =__Personal Life__= He was born c. 525 BC in the small town of Eleusis which is located just north of Athens. Aeschylus's sister's son, Philocles, was also a tragic poet, who's work was often compared to Sophocles. Aeschylus had at least two brothers, but it is impossible to prove that he did not have more. His brothers' names were; Cynegeirus and Ameinias. Aeschylus was later married and fathered two sons; Euphorion and Euaeon. Both of them continued in their father's footsteps and became tragic poets. He fought in the wars against Persia. He wrote plays that were a part of the theater we know today.
 * Aeschylus** was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work actually survived. The other two being Sophocles and Euripides. He is sometimes referred to as the Father of Tragedies. He wrote a multitude of tragedies including; Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, and Eumenides. By far Agamemnon is his most famous work.

=__Works__= Aeschylus wrote over 90 plays, but only seven were able to make it in the world we know today. Most of his plots are simple and deal with a individual's will and the powers that rule the world. Some of his plays are based off of actual events that he took part in (see //The Persians// and //Agamemnon//). They mainly have one actor who responds to the chorus. The one person created different characters by putting on different masks. Eventually he made up to two actors that responded to each other and the chorus. We now know that his most famous work was Agamemnon.

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Agamemnon
Agamemnon, Aeschylus' most famous play, is about a man with the same name who is the commander of the Greek army while fighting Troy. He comes home only to see what his family has become. He is determined to gain the throne which is rightfully his. Aeschylus actually fought in the war against Troy. Although the story is fiction it is based on events that actually happened.

The Persians
The Persians, a play about the battle of Salamis. This is the oldest surviving play in all of theater. The play involves what happens when the news makes it to the imperial court. Again Aeschylus actually fought this war alongside his brother. The play takes place in Iran (in one of the capitals of Persia). This play was designed to cater to the Greeks and everyone else. The story "touched the heart" of its viewers. It really focuses on Greek triumph and Persian defeat. (8)

Libation Bearers
Libation Bearers comes chronologically after Agamemnon. It takes place throughout the adulthood of Orestes. Libation Bearers is known for including well-written imagery, which is also found in Agamemnon. (4). Orestes and Electras' father has been murdered at the hands of their mother. They both are instructed to visit his grave where they talk about how much they love and miss their father and how much they hate and dispise their mother. When their mother, Clytamnestra, comes through the door Orestes pretends to be a stranger to deliver bad news. He said that Orestes is dead. Clytamnestra spreads the word about the false death. Her lover Aigisthos, has been murdered by Orestes and Clytamnestra is alerted by the screaming of a servant who has seen Orestes murder Aigisthos. In rage with his mother over her lover's death and his father's death Orestes stabs her. He wraps her body along with her lovers body in the shroud his father died in and declares to the world that he has carried out the demands of Justice. (7)

Eumenides
In Eumenides, the final play of the series, Orestes murdered his mother and her lover (murdered them in the Libation Bearers) and then fled to Delphi. He seeks protection at the Temple of Apollo. He doesn't think he deserves any punishment for what he has done. Apollo puts the Furies to sleep and tells Orestes to go to Athens, where Athena will help him. Although when he arrives in Athens, he hears word that the Furies have awakened and Apollo is coming, to protect him. Athena says that she will establish a court room, and he will be judged by twelve athenian men for killing his mother and her lover. (6)

=__Reference__= 1. "Aeschylus - Greek Plays for Kids!" //Kidipede - History for Kids - Homework Help for Middle School Social Studies//. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. [].

2. "Aeschylus and His Tragedies." //TheatreHistory.com//. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. [].

3. "A1." //The World Book Encyclopedia.// Chicago: World Book, 2006. 90. Print

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5. "Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BC)." //Imagi-nation.com//. Moonstruck Drama Bookstore. Web. 01 Oct. 2011. [].

6. "Eumenides Overview." //Eumenides Study Guide, Book Notes & Full Text.// Web. 03 Oct. 2011. []

7. "The Libation Bearers: Plot Overview." //The Libation Bearers.// Web. 03 Oct. 2011. []

8. "The Persians." //The Persians.// Web. 03 Oct. 2011. []