The Persians

One of only seven surviving plays by the “Father of Tragedy,” Aeschylus’ The Persians is a cautionary tale pondering the perils of unbridled pride and overreaching power. A veteran of the war between the Athenians and the Persians, Aeschylus dramatized the conflict by writing from the viewpoint of his former enemy, the vanquished Persians. Evoking sorrow for the once-powerful Persia, Aeschylus depicts the collapse of an empire felled by greed and arrogance.