Aeschylus (c. 525 - c. 456 BCE) was one of the great writers of Greek Tragedy in 5th century BCE Classical Athens. Known as 'the father of tragedy', the playwright wrote up to 90 plays, winning with half of them at the great Athenian festivals of Greek drama. Perhaps his most famous work is Prometheus Bound which tells the myth of the Titan punished by Zeus for giving humanity the gift of fire. All of his surviving plays are still performed today in theatres across the world. An innovator of the genre, Aeschylus is said to have described his work as 'morsels from the feast of Homer'.
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Definition
Timeline
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472 BCEAeschylus' tragedy 'Persians' is first performed.
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467 BCEAeschylus' tragedy 'Seven Against Thebes' is first performed.
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c. 463 BCEAeschylus' tragedy 'The Suppliants' is first performed.
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458 BCEAeschylus' tragedy trilogy Orestia: 'Agamemnon', Libation Bearers or 'Choephori', and 'The Eumenides' is first performed.
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c. 457 BCEAeschylus' tragedy 'Prometheus Bound' is first performed.
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456 BCEAeschylus dies in Gela, Sicily.