The Persians

The Queen of Persia, historically known as Queen Atossa, is King Darius’s widow and King Xerxes’s mother. Though the rest of the women in The Persians are depicted as grieving within the privacy… read analysis of Queen of Persia

Xerxes is the King of Persia and the head of the Persian military during the disastrous Battle of Salamis. He is also King Darius and the Queen of Persia’s son. Because he commands… read analysis of Xerxes, King of Persia

King Darius of Persia, who died before the start of the play, is Queen of Persia’s husband and the father of Xerxes’s father. Under Darius’s rule, the Persian Empire expanded across all of… read analysis of Ghost of Darius

The Chorus in The Persians functions like a typical Greek Chorus in classical drama, narrating the action, providing context, and singing or chanting to add emotional weight to the piece. Traditionally, a Greek Chorus would… read analysis of Chorus of Persian Elders

The Messenger is a Persian soldier whose job is to report back to Sousa with news of Persian conquests and defeat abroad. The Messenger is a firsthand witness to the carnage of the Battle of… read analysis of Persian Messenger

In Greek mythology, Zeus is the king of the gods and also the god of thunder, the ruler of the sky, and the father of many other central deities, including Ares and Pallas Athena… read analysis of Zeus

Ares is the Greek god of war. Early in Aeschylus’s play, the Chorus believes that Ares is on the side of the Persians, boasting that with support from “the archer Ares,” the Persians are “never… read analysis of Ares

Pallas Athena is the Greek god of wisdom and the patron goddess of the city of Athens. According to Greek myth, Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods. In The… read analysis of Pallas Athena