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About the Author

Aeschylus was born at Eleusis of a noble family. He fought at the Battle of Marathon (490 b.c.), where a small Greek band heroically defeated the invading Persians. At the time of his death in Sicily, Athens was in its golden age. In all of his extant works, his intense love of Greece and Athens show more finds expression. Of the nearly 90 plays attributed to him, only 7 survive. These are The Persians (produced in 472 b.c.), Seven against Thebes (467 b.c.), The Oresteia (458 b.c.)---which includes Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides (or Furies) --- Suppliants (463 b.c.), and Prometheus Bound (c.460 b.c.). Six of the seven present mythological stories. The ornate language creates a mood of tragedy and reinforces the already stylized character of the Greek theater. Aeschylus called his prodigious output "dry scraps from Homer's banquet," because his plots and solemn language are derived from the epic poet. But a more accurate summation of Aeschylus would emphasize his grandeur of mind and spirit and the tragic dignity of his language. Because of his patriotism and belief in divine providence, there is a profound moral order to his plays. Characters such as Clytemnestra, Orestes, and Prometheus personify a great passion or principle. As individuals they conflict with divine will, but, ultimately, justice prevails. Aeschylus's introduction of the second actor made real theater possible, because the two could address each other and act several roles. His successors imitated his costumes, dances, spectacular effects, long descriptions, choral refrains, invocations, and dialogue. Swinburne's (see Vol. 1) enthusiasm for The Oresteia sums up all praises of Aeschylus; he called it simply "the greatest achievement of the human mind." Because of his great achievements, Aeschylus might be considered the "father of tragedy." (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by Aeschylus

Prometheus Bound (0480) 1,207 copies
Tragedies (0499) 1,010 copies
Agamemnon (0458) 750 copies
The Persians (0472) — Author — 433 copies
The Seven Against Thebes (0467) 302 copies
Choephoroe (1923) 166 copies
The Suppliants (1975) — Author — 152 copies
Five Great Greek Tragedies (Thrift Edition) (1994) — Contributor — 79 copies
The House of Atreus (0524) 41 copies
Zincire Vurulmus Prometheus (2013) 25 copies
L'Orestiade (1952) 24 copies
Görög drámák (1975) 16 copies
Obras completas (2012) 10 copies
Aeschylus Persae (1982) 8 copies
Tragödien und Fragmente (1938) — Author — 7 copies
Aeschylus 7 copies
Prometeo encadenado (2015) 5 copies
Grčke tragedije (2004) 5 copies
Greske dramaer (1975) 5 copies
Aeschyli Supplices (1992) 5 copies
Los persas (1996) 4 copies
Teatro Grego 4 copies
Aeschylus Choephoroi (2015) 3 copies
Aiszkhülosz drámái (1985) 3 copies
Fragmentos · Testimonios (2008) 3 copies
The Oresteia of Aeschylus (2020) 3 copies
Mourir pour Troie (2007) 3 copies
The Suppliants, Volume 2 (1980) 3 copies
Teatro completo (1990) 3 copies
Antikinės tragedijos (1988) 3 copies
De sju mot Thebe (0467) 3 copies
Las Euménides (1999) 3 copies
Sengrieķu traģēdijas — Author — 3 copies
The dramas of Aeschylus (2018) 3 copies
Drammi satireschi (2004) 3 copies
Aeschylus 3 copies
Tragedie (2005) 3 copies
Four Tragedies 2 copies
Sämtliche Tragödien (1984) 2 copies
Three other Theban plays (2016) 2 copies
Antike Tragödien (2013) 2 copies
Traxedias (1999) 2 copies
Aeschylus Complete Plays (1978) 2 copies
Prometheus Bond 2 copies
Prométhée enchaîné (1999) 2 copies
Hamburger Lesehefte : Aischylos : Die Perser (1997) — Text — 2 copies
Promencha 2 copies
Πέρσαι (1992) 2 copies
Prometeo incatenato (1994) 2 copies
Fyra sorgespel 2 copies
Greek Drama (1982) 2 copies
Tragedie 2 copies
The Complete Aeschylus (2013) 2 copies
Prometeusz skowany (2002) 2 copies
Eschyle. Tome 2 2 copies
Classic Greek drama (1996) 2 copies
Elektra 2 copies
SIETE TRAGEDIAS, LAS (2013) 2 copies
Prometheus Bound (2017) 2 copies
Coeforas 2 copies
Görög drámák (1991) 2 copies
Orestia 1 copy
Orestien 1 copy
Das Totenopfer, (1944) 1 copy
Perzen 1 copy
Eumeniderna 1 copy
Antike Tragödien (1992) 1 copy
Gravoffret 1 copy
Трагедии (2001) 1 copy
Los persas 1 copy
The Oresteia (2018) 1 copy
The Persae 1 copy
Coéforas 1 copy
Les perses 1 copy
Le tragedie (1989) 1 copy
TRAGEDIES 1 copy
Tragedias griegas (1983) 1 copy
Orestíada (2012) 1 copy
Théatre complet (1964) 1 copy
Les Euménides (2014) 1 copy
Eumenides 1 copy
The Libation-Bearers (2013) 1 copy
COEFERE 1 copy
Théâtre d'eschyle (1956) 1 copy
Les Danas 1 copy
Πέρσαι 1 copy
Electra 1 copy
Four Plays 1 copy
The Serpent Son - Oresteia — Author — 1 copy
Aischylos 1 copy
Trageodiae. 1 copy
De Perzen 1 copy
Tragèdies (1932) 1 copy
Agamemnon & Medea — Author — 1 copy
Antígone 1 copy
Els Perses (2013) 1 copy
Περσαι 1 copy
ΠΕΡΣΑΙ 1 copy
Les Perses 1 copy
The Oresteia 1 copy
Smeekelingen 1 copy
Eumenieden 1 copy
Agememnon; (2010) 1 copy
The Plays 1 copy
Prometeo Ligita (1982) 1 copy
Agamemnon 1 copy

Associated Works

Greek Tragedies, Volume 1 (1960) — Contributor — 1,387 copies
Electra [3 plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides] (1989) — Auteur, some editions — 674 copies
Greek tragedies, Volume 3 (1960) — Contributor — 646 copies
The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis (2001) — Contributor — 537 copies
Greek tragedies, Volume 2 (1960) — Contributor — 476 copies
Greek Drama (Bantam Classics) (0405) — Contributor — 473 copies
Seven Famous Greek Plays (1938) — Contributor — 421 copies
The Portable Greek Reader (1948) — Contributor, some editions — 388 copies
Eight Great Tragedies (1957) — Contributor — 382 copies
Ten Greek Plays in Contemporary Translations (1957) — Contributor — 305 copies
The Complete Greek tragedies (1953) — Contributor — 199 copies
Masterpieces of the Drama (1966) — Contributor — 173 copies
An Anthology of Greek Drama: First Series (1949) — Author — 134 copies
Four Greek Plays (1960) — Contributor — 77 copies
Four Famous Greek Plays (1777) — Contributor — 75 copies
Treasury of the Theatre: From Aeschylus to Ostrovsky (1967) — Contributor — 48 copies
An Anthology of Greek Drama: Second Series (1954) — Author — 48 copies
Nine Great Plays: From Aeschylus to Eliot (Revised Edition) (1950) — Contributor; Contributor — 24 copies
East and Other Plays (Playscripts) (1977) — Adapted from, some editions — 15 copies
Drama (Outline of Knowledge, Vol. XVII) (2007) — Contributor — 12 copies
Agamenon / Hippolytus / Oedipus the King (1960) — Contributor — 8 copies
Drie Griekse tragedies (1961) — Contributor — 6 copies
Grieksche lyriek in Nederlandsche verzen — Contributor — 3 copies

Tagged

Aeschylus (448) Agamemnon (94) ancient (252) Ancient Greece (469) Ancient Greek (182) Ancient Greek Literature (142) ancient literature (145) anthology (285) antiquity (162) classic (310) classical (179) classical literature (230) classical studies (88) classics (1,482) drama (2,649) Euripides (81) fiction (771) Greece (581) Greek (1,208) Greek drama (300) Greek literature (659) Greek mythology (131) Greek tragedy (303) history (116) literature (838) mythology (426) non-fiction (78) own (69) Penguin Classics (92) philosophy (68) play (454) plays (1,045) poetry (561) read (166) Sophocles (98) theatre (728) to-read (537) tragedy (787) translation (283) unread (87)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Αἰσχύλος
Other names
Esquilo
Birthdate
c. 525 BCE
Date of death
c. 456 BCE
Burial location
Gela, Sicily
Gender
male
Nationality
Greece
Birthplace
Eleusis, Attica, Greece
Place of death
Gela, Sicily
Cause of death
Hit in head with shellfish dropped by a passing eagle
Places of residence
Athens, Greece
Eleusis, Greece
Syracuse, Sicily
Gela, Sicily
Occupations
tragedian
soldier
Awards and honors
13 victories at the Athens Dionysia
Short biography
Aeschylus was an ancient Greek playwright. He is credited with an estimated 92 plays, though only seven have survived into modern times. He is known to have fought at the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE), which influenced his Persians (the only surviving Greek tragedy based on contemporary events) and probably at the Battle of Salamis (480).
Born at Eleusis in 525 BCE, he started producing tragedies at Athens in 499, and had his first victory in 484. He visited Sicily at least twice, and died there at Gela in 456.

Members

Reviews

Prometeu Acorrentado é uma tragédia grega escrita por Ésquilo por volta de 450 a.C.

Ésquilo continua o Mito de Prometeu, introduzido em Os Trabalhos e os Dias por Hesíodo, narrando a punição de Prometeu, por roubar o fogo de Hefesto e a sabedoria de Atenas, em ser acorrentado em um rochedo no Cáucaso por Hefesto, Cratos e Bia e ter o fígado comido durante o dia por uma águia.

Na tragédia Zeus é retratado como um deus cruel e tirânico que governa por meio da força e da opressão. Arbitrariedade e tirania evidenciadas também em Io, uma sacerdotisa mortal que é transformada em uma vaca por Zeus para protegê-la da ira de Hera, forçada a vagar pelo mundo em sua forma animal.

Preso na rocha Prometeu faz diversas previsões sobre o futuro, incluindo uma em que ele prevê a queda de Zeus e a ascensão de um novo governante, um filho, que seria mais poderoso.

A previsão é vista como uma forma de reafirmar a luta de Prometeu pela liberdade e pela justiça. Ao prever a queda de Zeus, Prometeu mostra que a tirania divina não pode prevalecer para sempre, e que há uma possibilidade de mudança e renovação no mundo. Além disso, ele também demonstra sua confiança na capacidade humana de superar as dificuldades e alcançar a redenção.
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Flagged
jgrossi | 19 other reviews | Nov 12, 2023 |
Although I own this Kindle edition, I actually read a different translation which I can't find here on GoodReads by George Thomson. The Thomson translation was the best of the three Aeschylus plays I have read, and was contained in the anthology [b:Greek Plays in Modern Translation|977367|Greek Plays in Modern Translation|Dudley Fitts|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|962263] (modern to the editor in 1947 when this book was published).

I found this final play of the Orestiea to be an interesting commentary on the need for old ways to surrender to new ones - this was timely in Aeschylus' day and is still valid. Strangely enough, I recently finished a sci fi novella with this same theme. Truly one of universal application!… (more)
 
Flagged
leslie.98 | Jun 27, 2023 |
I found Lattimore's translation difficult to read and ended up supplementing it with the YouTube video of the (British) National Theater production of Tony Harrison's translation, which I found easier to understand. Even that was difficult in places but perhaps because I was busy trying to match up the video with the text...

So for this particular edition I give 3 stars - for the play itself, I give 4 stars. This is the epitome of what I think of when I hear the term "Greek tragedy" - the inescapable fate, the chorus, the justice and yet the pity.
… (more)
 
Flagged
leslie.98 | 16 other reviews | Jun 27, 2023 |
I read the Morshead translation on my Kindle, as part of [b:The House of Atreus|21432805|The House of Atreus|Aeschylus|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|40743380] which is really The Oresteia with a different title as far as I can tell... I found this translation easier to understand then the Lattimore but still challenging in places.

However, I will strongly recommend the (British) National Theater production which is available on YouTube. Tony Harrison's translation is easier for the modern ear, and the production done in the ancient Greek style (masks, etc.) is powerful. Of course, it is best appreciated if you start with the first play of the trilogy, Agamemnon, but if you are familiar with the story, this play stands on its own.… (more)
 
Flagged
leslie.98 | Jun 27, 2023 |

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Associated Authors

Richmond Lattimore Editor, Translator
David Grene Editor, Translator
Euripides Contributor, Author
Sophocles Contributor, Author
Aristophanes Contributor
Anne Carson Translator
Sofokles Author
Eiripīds Author
George Murray Translator
P.C. Boutens Translator
David R Slavitt Editor, Translator
Gilbert Murray Translator, Editor
J. S. Blackie Translator
Henriks Novackis Translator
Augusts Ģiezens Translator
Philip Vellacott Translator
Paul Roche Translator
Robert Lowell Translator
Rex Warner Translator
Frederic Raphael Translator
Emil Zilliacus Translator
Leone Traverso Translator
Ted Hughes Translator
Bo Foxworth Narrator
Piet Gerbrandy Afterword
Philip Vallacott Translator
Elina Vaara Translator
Ezio Savino Translator
Sylvia Allman Illustrator
Peter Østbye Translator
Richard Seaford Introduction
Richard Stoneman Consultant Editor
Ruth Padel Introduction
Peter Levi Introduction
Ernst Stern Illustrator
William Bedell Stanford Editor and Introduction
W.B. Stanford Introduction
Herman Altena Translator
Enrico Medda Translator
H. A. Shapiro Translator
Helene P. Foley Introduction
Robert Fagles Editor and Translator
Linda Purl Narrator
Douglas Young Translator
Don Bolognese Illustrator
Adrian Wilson Designer
Peter Brandes Illustrator
Domenico Ricci Translator
Michael Aryton Illustrator
Peter Burian Translator
Elaine Raphael Illustrator
Carles Cardó Translator
Umberto Albini Introduction
Laurence Preece Illustrator
Richard Eichman Frontispiece
Dietrich Ebener Translator
Otto Steen Due Translator
Wendy Doniger Translator
Luigi Battezzato Translator
Erik Vos Translator
Dario Del Corno Introduction
Jan Stolpe Translator
William Matthews Translator
Stephen Sandy Translator
S.H. de Roos Typographer, Designer
G. Italie Editor
A. W. Verrall Editor, Translator
Denys Page Editor
Lewis Campbell Translator
Émile Chambry Traduction
E. H. Plumptre Translator
Carles Miralles Introduction
Walter Jens Afterword
Denys Page Editor
G. R. Barker Translator
F. H. Nash Translator
Peter D. Arnott Ed. And Tr.
G. K. Leach Translator
Z. N. Brooke Translator
Robert Browning Translator
N. B. Dearle Translator
R. Fagles Translator
A. F. Gardiner Translator
C. W. Greene Translator
J. C. Higgins Translator
A. J. F. Hood Translator
G. F. Helm Translator
Louis MacNiece Translator
W. S. Milne Translator
A. A. L. Parsons Translator
Evert Straat Translator
Ieva Krūmiņa Illustrator
Curt Woyte Translator
T. G. Tucker Translator
Walther Kraus Translator
Hugh Lloyd-Jones Contributor
Quentin Fiore Illustrator
Anneke Germers Cover designer
J. Tapperwijn Cover designer
Emil Staiger Translator
F. D. Allen Translator
Francis Giffard Translator
Kenneth McLeish Translator
Hjalmar Gullberg Translator

Statistics

Works
601
Also by
35
Members
19,822
Popularity
#1,095
Rating
3.9
Reviews
182
ISBNs
943
Languages
31
Favorited
56
Touchstones
238

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