Aeschylus' Oresteia and Prometheus Bound: Hubris and the Chorus
The dramatic presentations of ancient Greece developed out of religious rites performed to honor gods or to mark the coming of spring. Playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides composed plays to be performed and judged at competitions held during the yearly Dionysian festivals. Those plays were chosen by a selection board and evaluated by a panel of judges. To compete in the contest, Greek playwrights had to submit three tragedies, which could be either based on a common theme or unrelated, and one comedy. However, relatively few of these ancient Greek plays survive today. Known as the "father of tragedy", Aeschylus introduced a "second actor" on stage, allowing for action and interaction to take place and establishing a caste of professional actors (Bloom, 45). He let the chorus converse with the characters, introduced elaborate costumes and stage designs. Two of Aeschylus' plays, Oresteia and Prometheus Bound, illustrate the importance of Chorus and the characteristic concept of "hubris", or excessive pride, focusing on man's social and political consequences in the universe in relation to the Greek gods.
Aeschylus was a native of Eleusis, a Greek town near Athens. The year of his birth was 525 B.C. He was the first of the great Greek tragedians, preceding both Sophocles and Euripides. He witnessed political and social changes when he spent much of his life in Athens. Aeschylus was a soldier; his military experience included fighting in the battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 B.C. He later fought against the Persians at Salamis and Platea in 480 B.C. (Bloom, 58). Athens, at that time, was part of a federation of small Greek states allied against the forces of the Persian army, which was led by King Xerxes. Aeschylus fought against the Persians who invaded Athens and lost his brother in the final battle. Over eighty plays are credited to his name, of which only seven have been preserved in full by the efforts of ancient historians. Of
Aeschylus was a native of Eleusis, a Greek town near Athens. The year of his birth was 525 B.C. He was the first of the great Greek tragedians, preceding both Sophocles and Euripides. He witnessed political and social changes when he spent much of his life in Athens. Aeschylus was a soldier; his military experience included fighting in the battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 B.C. He later fought against the Persians at Salamis and Platea in 480 B.C. (Bloom, 58). Athens, at that time, was part of a federation of small Greek states allied against the forces of the Persian army, which was led by King Xerxes. Aeschylus fought against the Persians who invaded Athens and lost his brother in the final battle. Over eighty plays are credited to his name, of which only seven have been preserved in full by the efforts of ancient historians. Of
Cited: Bloom, Harold. Bloom 's Major Dramatists. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 2002. Grene, David, and Richmond Lattimore, eds. Aeschylus I: Oresteia. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1953. Scully, James, and C. John Herington, eds. Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound. New York & London: Oxford University Press, 1975.