Ok, missed these in college, but I think you have to read these, and quite frankly, they're a little better with some age on you. Prometheus Bound is more interesting after you have had a chance to watch people (perhaps yourself) let their ego run away with them and get them in horrible trouble. Otherwise, at 18-22 Prometheus is an unmittigated hero, and that's less interesting. As a bonus, Prometheus was used as a model for Milton's Satan, and that Satan is pretty much the coolest Devil. If the Fonz had a big brother, wouldn't you want to meet him? Fantastic lines in this one, and the translation is excellent. "Do you think I quake and cower before these upstart gods?" Use it in your next salary negotiation.
The Suppliants is kind of a waste of time. It's obviously the introduction to the action, and not much to reflect on unless you know a woman in an unhappy marriage, and then you can supply them with the line, "I would rather meet my fate in a drawn noose/ Than give my flesh to a husband I abhor;/ Sooner let Death possess me!" That'll add zazz to any domestic argument.
Seven Against Thebes is fantastic and serves as the end to the Oedipus trilogy if you want to read it that way. Lots of great slams on the boastful and praise to the quiet effective types. It's required reading.
The Persians is great reading right now if you're not thrilled with the way America is headed under current leadership. It's about the most powerful empire in the world shattering its massive army in a war of folly. Superior wealth and technology (bridge of boats across the ocean) are squandered in the wastelands. It's from the point of view of the losers, and I can't help but think it's cautionary to the Greeks rather than celebratory. America should read it that way as well. It's eerily relevant. I read this passage this morning and it gave me the creeps:
(Mother of Xerxes's premonition concerning the fall of the Persian empire)
I saw an eagle fly for refuge to Apollo's hearth. I watched, speechless with terror; then a falcon came, and swooped with rushing wings, and with his talons clawed the eagle's head; it, unresisting, cowered there, offering itself to wounds.
Not good for us, not good at all. In any case, just about every page has some piece of wisdom on it, and the translation here puts the the thought with the perfect words. If you're enjoying Shakespeare or KJV right now but want a different flavor, give Aeschylus a shot. He has a strong grasp on the mind of the king and the burden of leadership, more so than WS. There's also a sophisticated view of how real democracy lends strength to a society, in a way that resonates with an adult brain that has become jaded on jingoism.
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Surprisingly Resonant
The tragedies of Aeschylus resonate across the centuries that separate ancient Athens from the modern West.Aeschylus was, of course, part of the Greek cultural explosion that begat the beginnings of philosophy, democracy and Western literature. He wrote his tragedies at a time when Athens was becoming increasingly self-conscious of the difference between their city and the rest of the Mediterranean. Thus his plays revolve around questions such as the origins of civilization and the divine response, whether the gods care about human affairs and whether to empathize with a defeated enemy.Note that all of these themes continue to preoccupy Western civilizations and Aeschylus’s perspective, while not definitive, is still worth listening to.By exploring these themes in dramatic form, Aeschylus made his work intelligible in a way which the Histories of Herodotus is not. No one needs a particular knowledge of or interest in the classics to appreciate Aeschylean tragedy though, of course, classicists can provide insights to meanings not grasped by the casual reader.And, while the introduction to this edition is not particularly helpful in helping to understand Aeschylus, the translation is in easy to read twenty-first century English and makes for an enjoyable reading experience. Highly recommended to all.
Top reviews from other countries
Jessica Murray
Useful text for English Students
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2013skywalker
Maybe not the most mainstream of Aeschylus' plays (or the ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2015Bey123
... in terms of beauty of the language I have enjoyed it very much
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2014CHRISTOPHER TRUMAN
Stunning poetry
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2020