Aeschylus
Father of Greek tragedy who introduced the second actor and composed the Oresteia trilogy
The Meaning of Aeschylus
Aeschylus of Eleusis (c. 525-456 BCE) transformed Greek drama from a single actor responding to a chorus into genuine theatrical dialogue by introducing the second actor. He composed between seventy and ninety plays, of which seven survive, including the Oresteia — the only complete tragic trilogy extant — which traces the curse of the House of Atreus from Agamemnon's murder through Orestes' matricide to his trial and acquittal at Athens. Aeschylus's themes are cosmic: the clash between old and new divine orders, the establishment of justice, and humanity's place within divine plans. He fought at Marathon and possibly Salamis, and his self-composed epitaph mentions only his military service, not his theatrical genius.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Aeschylus's epitaph mentions only that he fought at Marathon — saying nothing about his seventy plays
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Oresteia
💭 conceptLiterature
Aeschylus' trilogy of tragedies tracing the cycle of bloodshed in the house of Atreus
Sophocles
💭 conceptTragedy, fate, heroism
Athenian tragedian who introduced the third actor and created Oedipus and Antigone
Persians
💭 conceptLiterature
Aeschylus' tragedy dramatising the Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis from the Persian perspective
Divine Justice
💭 conceptEthics
The principle that the gods punish wrongdoing and uphold moral order in the cosmos
Bacchae
💭 conceptLiterature
Euripides' final tragedy depicting the arrival of Dionysus in Thebes and the destruction of those who deny his divinity
Dikē
💭 conceptreligion, ethics, law
Justice, right order, or the way things ought to be — both the divine personification of justice and the principle of cosmic and social rightness.
Republic
💭 conceptLiterature
Plato's philosophical dialogue exploring justice, the ideal state, and the nature of the soul
Oedipus Rex
💭 conceptLiterature
Sophocles' tragedy revealing how Oedipus unknowingly fulfils the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother
House of Atreus
💭 conceptNarrative
The cursed royal dynasty of Mycenae whose generations of bloodshed and vengeance form the darkest saga in Greek mythology
Euripides
💭 conceptTragedy, psychology, women
Radical Athenian tragedian who explored human psychology and gave voice to women and outsiders
Hippolytus and Phaedra
💭 conceptNarrative
A tragedy of forbidden desire, false accusation, and divine cruelty destroying an innocent young prince
Goddess of Justice
💭 conceptJustice, law, moral order, custom
Themis upholds divine law and natural order, counselling Zeus on what is right and presiding over assemblies.