Friday, 6 December 2013

Aeschylus

Portrait of the Athenian tragedian Aeschylus - Flickr.com

Aeschylus the tragedian

 Born in 525/4 BC at the deme of Eleusis into the Athenian aristocratic family Eupatridae. Fought with distinction in the Persian wars at  Marathon in 490 BC, and again in 480 BC at Salamis. and possibly at Plataea in the following year. Aeschylus seems to have begun writing tragedy at a young age, and for some time he appeared personally as an actor in his own plays. His plays, however, did not win first place in a contest until he was forty years old (ca 484 BC). During his lifetime he is said to have won thirteen such victories and even a few posthumously, for an exception and special unique privilege during the fifth century was granted by referendum to Aeschylus following his death, that his plays were to be set down in a standard authorised master version, and anyone who wished to was to be granted special performing rights to put on any his plays at any of the regular Athenian festivals.

He made his debut at the Dionysia in 499 BC. Won his first victory in 484 BC, after that won 12 time more in the tragedy contest [agon]: Persae 472 BC, Seven Against Thebes [Septem adversus Thebas] 467 BC. Suppliant Women [Supplices/The Suppliants] 463 BC and the Oresteia in 458 BC. In 468 he was defeated by the young Sophocles. He was attributed in antiquity to have written some 90 plays, however only the titles of some 79 of his plays are known for certain.

According to Aristotle his contributions to the art of tragedy were the introduction of a second actor, and a reduction in volume of the part played by the Chorus, but also an attempt to involve the chorus more directly in the action of the play.

He focused on speech as the central component of a tragedy. He liked his actors and the stage to have impressive decors. He invented several dance figures [Ochemata; schemata] for the chorus which he personally rehearsed with his choruses as its choreographer [chorodidaskalos (Χοροδιδάσκαλος, or in short διδάσκαλος)].

Invited to Sicily by the tyrant Hieron for whom he directed the Persai, which had been previously been staged in Syracuse, he organised the Aitnai ca [but not earlier than] 476/5 BC, a festival for the city of Aetnae [Etna] which had recently been founded by Hieron. He was to die in Gela on the occasion of another visit to Sicily in 456/5 BC. Apocryphally he was said to have been killed by a falling tortoise which had been dropped from the beak of an eagle flying overhead onto his bald head cracking his skull.The eagle was said to have been looking for a boulder upon which to break open the tortoise's shell so it and its eaglets could feast on it. He was entombed at Gela in Sicily, which was to become a place of pilgrimage, and his self-composed epitaph is remarkable in that it only mentions his military exploits whilst completely ignoring his literary career.  His tomb at Gelo was inscribed with the following epitaph celebrating his bravery at Marathon but says not a word about his playwriting . It seems that Aeschylus thought that his soldiering was far more worthy to record for posterity than his literary career:

"Here lies the Athenian Aeschylus, son of Euphorion, who died amidst the corn fields of Gela. The plain of Marathon can tell of his proven might, and the long-haired Medes who learned of it there."

Two of his sons, Euphorion and Evaeon, were also to become tragedians in their own right, and also his sister's son Philocles.

Concerning those of his plays which have survived extant into modern times, a selection of seven plays in all, as in the case of Sophocles, was made by the scribes for copying, probably early in the Christian era. And it is these seven that have been preserved. In Byzantine times, three of these seven: the Persians, the Seven against Thebes,and the Prometheus, were gathered into a smaller group. This latter group has managed to come down to us in more manuscripts and with much better text than his other plays.

A fair critical feature about Aeschylus is that he is prone to use too many metaphors and to mix them beyond all reason. But these faults are very minor ones when considered along with the heroic vigor and archaic freshness of his poetry

We can appreciate the metrical and musical development that Aeschylus brought to tragical presentation, as little of this can be appreciated in translations. He is said to have created his own choral dance figures, but we know practically nothing about these.

In the final scene (Exodus) of The Frogs, in a Komos, Aristophanes has Dionysos triumphantly lead Aeschylus out of Hades, the land of the dead, the underworld, back up again into the land of the living, as of all the tragedians he considers Aeschylus as best able to teach the Athenians.


References

Author(s): E. J. Kiehl
Source: Mnemosyne, 1ste Deel (1852), pp. 361-374
Published by: Brill

Michael Gagarin (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome. Aeschylus: Oxford University Press. pp. 22–. ISBN 978-0-19-517072-6.

Oxford Readings in Aeschylus - Google Books

Dictionary Of Greek And Roman Biography And Mythology Vol. I p. 40 - Aeschylus

Ancient Classics of English Readers Vol. 3  Aeschylus - Reginald Stephen Copleston - Google Books

Gale Cengage; Ward W. Briggs (1997). Ancient Greek Authors. Gale Research. ISBN 978-0-8103-9939-6.
Ancient Greek authors : Aeschylus - Archive.Org

Aeschylus - Wikipedia

Aeschylus | Biography, Plays, & Facts | Britannica

Aeschylus : Ireland, S., 1947- Internet Archive

Aristophanes: Bloom, Harold - Internet Archive

Aeschylean Tragedy - Google Books Alan H. Sommerstein

The political background of Aeschylean tragedy: Podlecki, Anthony J - Internet Archive http://bit.ly/3sZ5AaU

Henry Grey (F.R.B.S.) (1881). The classics for the million, an epitome, in English, of the works of the principal Greek and Latin authors. Aeschylus. pp. 107–.

 S. Burges Watson, ‘Orpheus: A Guide to Selected Sources’, Living Poets (Durham, 2013) 



Aeschylus was accused before the Areopagus of having divulged the Mysteries of Demeter in certain of his tragedies, but was acquitted.
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (H. Rackham, ed.) bekker page 1111a

Aeschylus - Tom's Learning Notes

Aeschylus: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide - Google Books https://bit.ly/333BU1o

Easterling, P. E. “Presentation of Character in Aeschylus.” Greece & Rome, vol. 20, no. 1, 1973, pp. 3–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/642873


Taplin, O. The Stagecraft of Aeschylus (1977)

Winnington-Ingram, R.P. Studies in Aeschylus (1983)


Aeschylus in Sicily
C. J. Herington
The Journal of Hellenic Studies
Vol. 87 (1967), pp. 74-85 (12 pages)
Published by: The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies
DOI: 10.2307/627808
https://www.jstor.org/stable/627808

 Distorted Oaths in Aeschylus
Isabelle Torrance
Illinois Classical Studies
Vol. 40, No. 2 (Fall 2015), pp. 281-295
Published by: University of Illinois Press
DOI: 10.5406/illiclasstud.40.2.0281
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/illiclasstud.40.2.0281

Catalogue of the Manuscripts of Aeschylus 
Author(s): Herbert Weir Smyth 
Source: Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Vol. 44 (1933), pp. 1-62 
Published by: Department of the Classics, Harvard University 
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/310679

Mary R. Lefkowitz (2 April 2012). The Lives of the Greek Poets. Chapter 7: Life of Aeschylus: JHU Press. pp. 70–. ISBN 978-1-4214-0464-6.

Michael Lloyd (2007). Oxford Readings in Aeschylus. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-926524-4.

P. E. Easterling; E. W. Handley (9 May 1985). The Cambridge History of Classical Literature: Volume 1, Greek Literature. Tragedy - 3.Aeschylus: Cambridge University Press. pp. 281–. ISBN 978-0-521-21042-3.

Simon Hornblower; Antony Spawforth; Esther Eidinow (29 March 2012). The Oxford Classical Dictionary (4th Edition). Aeschylus: OUP Oxford. pp. 26–8. ISBN 978-0-19-954556-8.

Robert Holmes Beck (6 December 2012). Aeschylus: Playwright Educator. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-011-8818-0.

Rebecca Futo Kennedy (25 September 2017). Brill's Companion to the Reception of Aeschylus. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-34882-0.

Nigel Wilson (31 October 2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. Aeschylus: Taylor & Francis. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-1-136-78799-7.

David Sacks; Oswyn Murray (1995). A Dictionary of the Ancient Greek World. Aeschylus Oxford University Press. pp. 7–. ISBN 978-0-19-511206-1.

John Herington (1986). Aeschylus. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-03643-5.

R. P. Winnington-Ingram; Aeschylus (29 September 1983). Studies in Aeschylus. CUP Archive. ISBN 978-0-521-24938-6. 
Studies in Aeschylus : Winnington-Ingram, R. P. (Reginald Pepys), - Internet Archive

Aeschylus Biography - life, family, children, history, wife, young

PETER. BURIAN (22 May 2020). A Companion to Aeschylus. John Wiley & Sons, Limited. ISBN 978-1-4051-8804-3.

Contributions to Antiquity: Studies in Aeschylus Martin L. West - Internet Archive

Oresteia - Wikipedia

The Danaid Tetralogy of Aeschylus
A. Diamantopoulos
The Journal of Hellenic Studies
Vol. 77, Part 2 (1957), pp. 220-229
http://www.jstor.org/stable/629361

Stoessl, Franz. “Aeschylus as a Political Thinker.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 73, no. 2, 1952, pp. 113–139. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/291809

Lloyd-Jones, Hugh. “Zeus in Aeschylus.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 76, 1956, pp. 55–67. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/629553. https://www.jstor.org/stable/629553

A. F. Garvie (1969). Aeschylus' Supplices. CUP Archive

Lazani_UCL_PhD.pdf - The Aeschylean Chorus PhD Thesis by Anastasia Lazani

Aeschylus (2013). Delphi Complete Works of Aeschylus (Illustrated). Delphi Classics. ISBN 978-1-909496-48-4.

Ian C. Storey; Arlene Allan (15 April 2008). A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama. Play Synopses - Aeschylus: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 243–. ISBN 978-1-4051-3763-8.

Richard Seaford (12 January 2012). Cosmology and the Polis: The Social Construction of Space and Time in the Tragedies of Aeschylus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-00927-1.

Isabelle Torrance (May 2010). Aeschylus: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-980491-7.

Thomas G. Rosenmeyer (1982). The Art of Aeschylus. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-04440-1.
The art of Aeschylus : Rosenmeyer, Thomas G : Internet Archive

Aeschylus, the Alkmeonids and the Reform of the Areopagos
Loren J. Samons II
The Classical Journal
Vol. 94, No. 3 (Feb. - Mar., 1999), pp. 221-233
Published by: The Classical Association of the Middle West and South, Inc. (CAMWS)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3298367

Annotated Versions of Aeschylus
Aeschylus; tr Christopher Collard (2002). Oresteia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-814967-5.

Aeschylus; tr Christopher Collard (2003). Oresteia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-283281-8.

Aeschylus; tr Christopher Collard (28 February 2008). Aeschylus: Persians and Other Plays. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-814968-2.

Aeschylus; tr Christopher Collard (28 February 2008). Aeschylus: Persians and Other Plays. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-814968-2.


The Agamemnon by Aeschylus (1920)  translated and commentary by Gilbert Murray
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL13991966M/The_agamemnon

Sabine Föllinger (2009). Aischylos: Meister der griechischen Tragödie. C.H.Beck. ISBN 978-3-406-59130-3. Wikisource


.
Aeschylus, Agamemnon (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Agamemnon (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)
Aeschylus, Agamemnon (English) (ed. Robert Browning)
Aeschylus, Eumenides (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Eumenides (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)
Aeschylus, Persians (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Persians (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)
Aeschylus, Suppliant Women (Greek) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph.D.)
Aeschylus, Suppliant Women (English) (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.)

Gilbert Murray Verse Translations
The Agammenon

Libation Bearers

Suppliant Women
https://archive.org/details/suppliantwomensu00aesc

Morshead Verse Translations


The Suppliant Maidens, the Persians, the Seven against Thebes, the Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus
https://archive.org/details/suppliantmaidens00aesc/page/n8/mode/2up

David Grene and Richard Lattimore Translations

Aeschylus I : Oresteia

Aeschylus II : The Suppliant maidens ; The Persians ; Seven against Thebes ; Prometheus Bound

Gottfried Hermann. Aeschyli Tragoediae. Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-01621-6
Gottfried Hermann. Aeschyli Tragoediae. Volume 2. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-01622-3.

Aeschylus; Gottfried Hermann (1852). Aeschyli tragoediae. Volume 2. Weidmannos.
Aeschylus; Gottfried Hermann (1859). Aeschyli Tragoediae. Volume 2. Apud Weidmannos.

Aeschylus; Richard Porson (1806). Aeschyli Tragoediae septem: cum versione Latina. Apud T. Payne
Aeschylus; Richard Porson; Wilhelm Dindorf (1827). Aeschyli Tragoediae. sumptibus et Typis B.G. Teubneri.

Aeschylus; Friedrich Heinrich Bothe (1831). Aeschyli Tragoediae: Prometheus vinctus, Supplices, Septem adversus Thebas, Persae. Hahn. pp. 2–.


Aeschylus (1855). The tragedies of Aeschylus.

The House of Atreus; Being the Agamemnon, the Libation bearers, and the Furies


Peter Burian (2010). The Complete Aeschylus: Volume I: The Oresteia. Oxford University Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-19-983113-5.


Aeschylus (2003). Oresteia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-283281-8.

 Aeschylus (1998). Aeschylus: The Oresteia. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1627-1.

Aeschylus; trans: Peter Meineck (1975). Oresteia. Hackett Publishing. ISBN 1-60384-324-8.

Aeschylus, translation by Herbert Weir Smyth : Aeschylus Vol II

Stefan Radt (1985). Tragicorum Graecorum fragmenta. Volume 3: Aeschylus. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 978-3-525-25745-6.


▶ The Oresteia Agamemnon part 1 - YouTube



Language, Lamentation, and Power in Sophocles' "Electra"
SARAH NOOTER
The Classical World
Vol. 104, No. 4 (SUMMER 2011), pp. 399-417 (19 pages)
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41303454

(PDF) WHEN HEROES SING: Sophocles and the Shifting Soundscape of Tragedy : Sarah Nooter - Academia.edu

Taplin, Oliver. “Aeschylean Silences and Silences in Aeschylus.” Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. 76, 1972, pp. 57–97. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/310978.

Bernard M. W. Knox. “Aeschylus and the Third Actor.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 93, no. 1, 1972, pp. 104–124. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/292905.

Allen, James Turney. “The Idle Actor in Aeschylus.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 4, 1907, pp. 268–272. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/636458.


References to Aeschylus and His Plays in the Online Version of The Encyclopedia Britannica

Below are the notable references, comments, and relevant URLs from the online version of The Encyclopedia Britannica that mention Aeschylus and his works:

Main Biography and Overview

  • Aeschylus (c. 525/524–456/455 BC) is recognized as the first of classical Athens’ great dramatists, often called the “Father of Tragedy.” He is credited with raising the art of tragedy to new heights and innovating the use of multiple actors and dramatic dialogue[1][2][3].

  • Number of Plays: He wrote approximately 90 plays, with about 80 known titles. Only seven tragedies survive in full:

    • Persians

    • Seven Against Thebes

    • The Suppliants

    • Prometheus Bound

    • The Oresteia trilogy (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides)[1][2][3].

  • Achievements: Aeschylus won at least 13 first prizes at dramatic competitions, and his innovations laid the groundwork for later tragedians such as Sophocles and Euripides[1][2].

URL: Aeschylus | Biography, Plays, & Facts - Britannica[1]

Summaries of Surviving Plays

  • Persians (472 BC): The earliest extant play, based on Aeschylus’s own experiences at the Battle of Salamis, and unique among Greek tragedies for focusing on a recent historical event[1][2][4].

  • Seven Against Thebes (467 BC): Centers on the conflict between Eteocles and Polyneices, sons of Oedipus, and the defense of Thebes[5][4].

  • The Suppliants: Features the daughters of Danaus seeking asylum in Argos; notable for its archaic structure and prominent chorus[5][3].

  • Prometheus Bound: Its authorship is debated but traditionally attributed to Aeschylus; tells the story of Prometheus’s punishment by Zeus[2][4].

  • Oresteia Trilogy (458 BC):

    • Agamemnon: The king’s return from Troy and his murder by Clytemnestra[6][7].

    • The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides: Continue the saga of the house of Atreus, exploring themes of justice and vengeance[1][6].

URL: Aeschylus - Ancient Greek, Tragedy, Oresteia | Britannica[5]
URL: Oresteia | Greek tragedy, trilogy, Aeschylus - Britannica[6]
URL: Agamemnon | play by Aeschylus - Britannica[7]

Additional Britannica Resources

  • Quotes and Themes: Aeschylus’s plays are noted for their exploration of fate, justice, and the will of the gods, as well as for their poetic and dramatic power[8].

  • Student and Kids Versions: Britannica Kids provides accessible summaries, noting Aeschylus’s innovations (such as introducing a second actor and reducing the chorus’s role) and the significance of his surviving tragedies[3].

URL: Aeschylus: Quotes - Britannica[8]
URL: Aeschylus - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help[3]

Britannica Book Editions

  • Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1990 published a dedicated volume titled "The Plays of Aeschylus," providing further scholarly commentary and analysis[9].

URL: The Plays of Aeschylus (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1990)[9]

Summary Table: Surviving Plays of Aeschylus

Play (Year)

Notable Themes / Comments

Britannica Reference

Persians (472 BC)

Historical tragedy, Battle of Salamis, hubris of kings

[1][2][4]

Seven Against Thebes (467 BC)

Family conflict, fate, defense of Thebes

[5][4]

The Suppliants

Asylum, chorus of Danaids, archaic structure

[5][3]

Prometheus Bound

Defiance of gods, suffering, disputed authorship

[2][4]

Oresteia Trilogy (458 BC):



- Agamemnon

Return from Troy, murder, justice

[6][7]

- The Libation Bearers

Revenge, cycle of violence

[1][6]

- The Eumenides

Transformation of justice, end of blood vengeance

[1][6]


These references provide comprehensive coverage of Aeschylus’s life, his dramatic innovations, and the significance of his surviving works within the context of Greek tragedy and Western literature.

⁂

  1. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist         

  2. https://www.britannica.com/summary/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist       

  3. https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Aeschylus/272740      

  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeschylus      

  5. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist/The-plays     

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Oresteia



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