The Great Phrases Of Aeschylus, The King Of Greek Tragedy
Recognized as one of the great Greek tragedians, alongside Sophocles and Euripides, his conception of fictional life is marked by moira and hybris.
Recall that the Moira involves the eternal fate. This fatality will always reach us, because it governs nature in its entirety, even in relation to the power of the Gods. So, as proud and disproportionate as we may be ( hybris) , nothing can escape fate, for we are all subject to just punishment.
We have in this article decided to focus on a series of sentences from Aeschylus that show us another way of seeing the world. Today, 2,500 years after his death, his sentences continue to be relevant in the news.
The great sentences of Aeschylus
Let us remember that Aeschylus lived between 525 aC and 456 aC, in the height of Greek splendor. He was of an intelligence based on knowledge, but also on success on battlefields, like Salamis or Marathon against the Persians.
Among his most remarkable works, let us quote the trilogy of L’Orestie , Prométhée enchainé or Les Sept contre Thebes , where he underlines the tension between the classical belief and the new Greek movements, more rationalist and democratic.
The truth
For Aeschylus, the truth always perishes in wars. Interest is the first to perish. You can lie and manipulate for a different purpose, final victory. Although it comes at the cost of thousands of human lives.
Family relationships
Aeschylus shows here the importance of family relationships and how these bonds have always translated into commitments. In ancient Greece, it was not unusual for a father, for example, to have children who would inherit out of wedlock. Without a doubt, this way of thinking was quite advanced for the time. Family members did not always respond to the social commitments associated with this type of bond.
Fatherhood
Undoubtedly, the study of family relationships in ancient Greece deserves careful research. However, this phrase makes perfect sense then and nowadays as well.
In most cases, the birth of a child is accompanied by immense joy … but also a certain bitterness. Indeed, the child can get sick, get angry, have problems… In short, this could end up being a source of perpetual concern, because the parents are always afraid that something will happen to him.
Listening
This sentence is truly wonderful and perfect for the times in which we live. In a trial, we hear both parties. In politics, one has to understand the different points of view of the speakers. And this goes for all areas of life.
Interestingly, we often only want to see or hear part of it. We read the newspaper that tells us what we want to read, we listen to the radio that interests us, we watch the TV channel that matches our way of thinking, or we bond with people with a similar ideology.
Unfortunately, this sentence of Aeschylus should not be necessary for it to be remembered. If we only have part of the story, we don’t have the full story.
The necessity
There are many authors who claim, like Aeschylus, that a person motivated by need has no limits. This is natural, because when we are hungry we need to eat, just like when we are thirsty, water has a better flavor.
Nothing can stop the need. Therefore, people who need something and are looking for it do not stop until they have found it, because for them it is fundamental, it is a primary necessity. It’s the same ideology or philosophy, for example, if you have nothing to eat. This is how the least important needs become those that worry us the least or those that cause the least embarrassment when we do not meet them.
Destiny
Aeschylus, like many Greeks, was fully convinced of the inviolability of certain elements of our future. Whatever we do, what must happen will happen, for no one will escape their fate: first birth and then death.
Our thoughts Discover in the following article six types of risks which correspond to six famous figures of Greek mythology.
