The Persians - Greek Drama

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The play “The Persians”, written by an Athenian man named Aeschylus, is an important source for the study of Greek history in the 5th century BC. This is because it contains information on the Battle of Salamis, the weaponry that the Greeks used and reveals details on the systems of government. It also informs us of Greek religion and culture. However, the play’s reliability is questionable as it was written by an Athenian, for an Athenian audience. Therefore, exaggerations and bias opinions were made. The naval battle in this play is the ‘Battle of Salamis’, which took place in 480 BC. Here, Aeschylus describes the way in which the Greeks prevented an invasion by the large forces of Persia and greatly emphasises the Athenian contribution to the victory. Aeschylus praises the Athenian contribution by using a Hellene man from the Athenian army to be the one who deceives Xerxes. The Hellene man deceives Xerxes by providing him with a false plan: once night falls, the Greek army would set sail by a route which offered escape. Xerxes, with no thought of being deceived, planned accordingly. This in turn, made his men tired and ultimately led to his armies defeat. Therefore, the play “The Persians” is an important source for the study of Greek history as it provides details on the Battle of Salamis. However, the reliability is questionable as parts of the play may have been exaggerated or fabricated, as it was a play written to win a prize. The weapons and armour of which the Greeks used is revealed in this play. It describes of the Greeks preference of spears, shields, and distain for archery. It also describes Greek triremes. These are the weapons which defeated the Persian forces. The choice of weaponry and armour of the Greeks is described at the mention of the Battle of Psyttaleia: ‘they came, armed with bronze shields and spears’ The play “The Persians” also
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