Aeschylus

Aeschylus They call him "The Father of Tragedy." He was the earliest writer of Greek tragedy, who's plays still survive today. (Chrisp 93) His life, wonderful playwriting, and dominating drama effects our world today.

First of all, Aeschylus was born in 524 B.C. in a city called Eleusis:near Athens.He was raised into a richfamily. ("Moonstruck Drama Bookstore") He was the son of Euphorion. His first occupation was in a vineyard, and his reverence for the god of the wine inspired him to follow the bent of his genius and contribute to the __spectacles__ then newly established in honor of Dionysus. According to Aeschylus, when he dozed off, Dionysus appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to write tragedies. The obedient young Aeschylus began a tragedy the next morning and "succeeded very easily." ("Theatre History")

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For information about Aeschylus, skip to 5:40 in this video. Enjoy :)

** Next, his wonderful playwriting filled the early Greek cities with entertainment, with writing from around 80 plays, seven of them still exist today. His plays were so complex, the only play writer that was able to perform the plays was William Shakespere. (Berkowitz 90) The names of the seven plays are, //__Oresteia, Agamemnon, Choesphori, The Eumenides, The Persians, Seven Against Thebes, The Suppliants, and Prometheus Bound.__// These seven plays are patriotic and religious. He won __best__ tragic playwrite at the festival some 13 times. He used a grand and formal style. Aeschylus believed that the gods acted justly, and his plays suggested the cause of suffering was evil or foolish human actions. (Chrisp 77). **

Aeschylus dominating drama in the 5th century affects our world today by adding in a second actor. Like the other two playwriters, Sophocles and Euripides, they only had one actor, singing all the lines. Aeschylus used two actors, because it made it possible for realistic dialogue and conflicts to take place. (Berkowitz 93). Aeschylus dominating drama in the 5th century immensly impacted the drama world today. Without him adding in two actors the __idea__ probably wouldn't have been born for another 100 some years, and people wouldn't be so enthused into watching these shows as they are now. Also, since Aeschylus was writing for the Greek theater in its formative stages, he is credited with having introduced many other features that became associated with the traditional Greek theater. Among these were the rich costumes, decorated cothurni (a kind of footwear), solemn dances, and possibly elaborate stage machinery. Aeschylus also added parts for a second and a third actor; before his time plays were written for only one actor and a chorus. He is said to have acted in his own plays and designed his own choral dances ("Aschylus")

** Aeschylus was so called the "Father of Tragedy". He was the earliest writer of Greek tragedy, who's plays still survive today. (Chrisp 93) His life, wonderful playwriting, and dominating drama effects our world today. Without Aeschylus, the world of drama and playwrite would be completely different. Aeschylus definatly impacted our drama world in a completely unique and amazing way. His work is complex and entertaining. Aeschylus should be more known, becuase without his work in playwriting, our acting and performancing wouldn't be as entertaining or even as enthusiastic as it has now become. **



Works Cited ("Aeschylus.") __Encyclopedia of World Biography__.2004. //Encyclopedia.com.// 25 Mar. 2012  [].

Berkowitz, Lucy. "Aeschylus." 2006. 1A. Print.

Chrisp, Peter. Great Britian: Google Tecnology Inc., 2006. Print.

"Aeschylus and His Tragedies." //TheatreHistory// (2002): n.pag. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .