National Theatre of Greece Presents THE PERSIANS

The National Theatre of Greece will present The Persians, through October 4, 2020.

The Persians (472 BC) is the oldest complete drama surviving today and at the same time a historical document about the most important conflict of the second Persian invasion of Greece, the naval battle of Salamis. One of the most decisive battles in the history of mankind is the subject of the tragedy of Aeschylus, who took part in it.

Without triumphs and compassions and with respect for the suffering of the losers, Aeschylus delivers a hymn to the freedom of the individual and opposes democratic ideals to the despotic monarchy and blind submission to power. Victory crowns those who follow prudence while the mechanism of justice punishes anyone who leads arrogance beyond its limits, insulting gods and people with his arrogance.

In Susa, the capital of Persia, the elders who have remained in the rear, faithful guardians of the glorious palaces of Xerxes, are worried about their army attempting to campaign against Greece, as no news has arrived about the outcome of the military mission.

The impressively large forces that make up the Persian army with the resounding names of its leaders and the god-given power of their king, are not enough to allay the concern of the elders, who know that the impenetrable web of Deception deceives people and leads them to doom. .
The anxiety culminates when Queen Atossa, Xerxes' mother, the leader of the campaign, and the wife of the dead Darius, recounts her ominous dream: Xerxes tried to snatch a Greek woman and an Asian woman in his chariot, but the Greek woman broke the shackles. king.

The arrival of the panting messenger confirms the evil premonitions: the whole Persian army was annihilated. The Greeks won.

The detailed account of the defeat of the Persians ends with the extensive description of the naval battle of Salamis, the flight of Xerxes and the bad luck of the rest of the army, which tried to return by land.

The symbol of the glorious past, King Darius, appears from Hades in response to the invocations of the chthonic powers and the lamentations of the Persians. The deceased king's interpretation of destruction attributes the responsibilities to Xerxes' arrogance and his insult to nature and the gods. The arrival of the ragged defeated king, in stark contrast to Darius' previous glorious presence, completes the image of doom. Praise for the achievements of the past turns into lamentations and sorrows for the present, and culminates the pain in the once glorious Persian palace.

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