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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 such a mighty army, Xerxes is initially confident in his plan to invade Greece, going so far as to topple Greek statues and mock Greek religious rites on his way to Salamis. But when he is tricked by a Greek soldier (the historical figure Themistocles, unnamed in the play), Xerxes winds up losing the battle and getting nearly all of his troops killed. Though Xerxes himself survives Salamis, he is so humiliated by the carnage that he rips his robes in shame, declaring that “to my native and ancestral land I have become nothing but evil.” Though Xerxes’s story demonstrates the dangers of overconfidence and hubris, his character arc also shows the possibilities of finding comfort in community, as when Xerxes joins in the Chorus’s unison song as a way of processing the tragedy he has just experienced. Finally, though the Battle of Salamis was indeed a major victory for the Greeks, the historical Xerxes went on to lead several military triumphs throughout his reign as Persia’s king. Therefore, even as the Xerxes of The Persians sings of “doom” and “pain,” it is important to note that this view of Xerxes as a failed king stems in part from the playwright Aeschylus’s own biases. The real Xerxes was far more formidable than the pro-Greek play is willing to let on.
Xerxes, King of Persia Quotes in The Persians
The The Persians quotes below are all either spoken by Xerxes, King of Persia or refer to Xerxes, King of Persia . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Persians Quotes
CHORUS: For the king’s return
with his many-manned troops
doom is the feeling
in my heart convulsed,
as it faces the future.
For all Asia is gone,
its strength and its youth:
and the women lament for their men.
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At the beginning of The Persians, none of the characters—including the group of Persian elders that makes up the play’s Greek Chorus—have any information about who has actually triumphed in Persia’s attempted invasion of Greece. Therefore, the “doom” that the Chorus references here has less to do with fact and more to do with dramatic foreshadowing, a device frequently used in Greek tragedies to make plot points feel fated and impossible to escape. And though the Chorus is comprised of many different individuals (each with his own convulsed “heart”), they speak and feel as one, a stylistic choice that makes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis.
CHORUS, ANTISTROPHE A: And the furious leader the herd
of populous Asia he drives,
wonderful over the earth,
and admirals stern and rough
marshals of men he trusts:
gold his descent from Perseus,
he is the equal of a god.
CHORUS, STROPHE B: In his eyes lazuli flashing
like a snake’s murderous glances,
with his mariners, warriors, many,
and his Syrian chariot driving,
hard on the glorious spearmen
the archer Ares he leads.
CHORUS, ANTISTROPHE B: To the great torrent of heroes
there is none worthily equal,
who resist, by defenses secured,
the unconquerable billows of ocean:
Persians are never defeated,
the people tempered and brave.
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As the Chorus contextualizes Xerxes’s plan to invade Greece, they boast of Persia’s power, the strength of its army on both land (its “glorious spearmen”) and sea (its fearsome “mariners”). Yet even as the Chorus extols Persia’s military might, they do so using the rhythmic structure of Strophes and Antistrophes—a mainstay of Greek drama. In other words, the Chorus is Persian in content but Greek in form, a mismatch that betrays the Greek playwright Aeschylus’s own national background and biases. Indeed, even the way the Chorus praises the Persian army can be read through a pro-Greek lens. In chanting that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas
QUEEN: Thus in the night these visions
I dreamed: but when, arisen, I touched the springs’
fair-flowing waters, approached the altar, wishing
to offer sacrifice religiously
to guardian deities, whose rites these are,
then to Phoebus’ hearth I saw an eagle fleeing.
Dumb in dread I stood: a falcon swooped
upon him, its wings in flight, its claws plucked
At his head: he did no more than cower, hare-like.
Those were my terrors to see, and yours to hear.
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After the Queen has foreboding dreams of Persia’s eventual demise, she wakes up early, hoping to offer sacrifices that will appease the gods and ensure good fortune. But on her way to do so, the Queen sees an even more ominous sight—an eagle, normally a majestic bird of prey, is taken down by a smaller, scrappier falcon. To the Queen (and to Aeschylus’s audience), this seems like a frightening symbol for Persia’s fate in Greece. Like the eagle, the Persian Empire is dominant and impressive, ruling over central Asia much as the eagle rules over the sky. But if the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimo
CHORUS LEADER: Queen mother, excessive fear
or confidence we do not wish to give you.
If your dreams were ominous, approach
the gods with supplications; pray that these
be unfulfilled, and blessings be fulfilled
for you, your son, your city, and your friends.
Next you must pour libations to the Earth
and the dead: and beg Darius, of whom you dreamed,
to send those blessings from the nether world
to light, for you and your son; and to hide
in darkness evils contrary, retained
within the earth. Propitious be your prayers.
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At the very beginning of The Persians, the Chorus expressed complete confidence in their empire’s army, boasting that Persians are “never defeated.” But now, having heard the Queen’s frightening dream about the eagle and the falcon, they no longer feel “excessive […] confidence.” Instead, the Chorus Leader starts urging the Queen to be deferential, telling her to offer “supplications” (prayers and sacrifices) to the gods, and “libations” (offerings of milk and honey) to the spirit of her dead husband Darius. This change of heart on the part of the Chorus shows the Persians’ use of religious rituals, but it also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusa
QUEEN: So rich in numbers are they?
CHORUS LEADER: So great a host
as dealt to Persians many woes.
QUEEN: Are bow-plucked shafts their armament?
CHORUS LEADER: Pikes wielded-close and shielded panoplies.
QUEEN: What else besides? Have they sufficing wealth?
CHORUS LEADER: Their earth is veined with silver treasuries.
QUEEN: Who commands them? Who is shepherd of their host?
CHORUS LEADER: They are slaves to none, nor are they subject.
QUEEN: But how could they withstand a foreign foe?
CHORUS LEADER: Enough to vanquish Darius’ noble host.
QUEEN: We mothers dread to calculate.
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The Queen, anxious that Xerxes and his army have yet to return, now tries to understand more about Athens, the city her son has tried to conquer. On the one hand, the Chorus’s description of Athens—the most powerful and expansive of the ancient Greek city-states—lines up with historical reality. But on the other hand, the Chorus Leader is acting as a mouthpiece for a pro-Greek version of events, emphasizing not only Athens’s strength (it is “rich in numbers” and capable of instilling “dread” in its foes) but also its cultural superiority. Athens, the play now telegraphs through the Chorus Leader, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. M
MESSENGER: Had numbers counted,
the barbarian warships surely would have won;
the Greeks but numbered thirty tens, and ten
apart from these a chosen squadron formed.
But Xerxes—and this I know full well—
a thousand, of which seven and two hundred
ranked supreme in swiftness. The count stood so.
Seemed we unequal? Some deity destroyed
our host, who weighing down the balance swung
the beam of fortune. The gods saved the city
of the goddess Pallas.
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Still trying to process the news of her son’s defeat at Salamis, the Queen begs the Messenger for more specifics about how the battle played out. The Messenger’s speech here is historically accurate: the Greeks were outnumbered by the Persians three to one, yet superior strategy on the part of Greek generals allowed Greece to use the Persian navy’s size against itself. This narrative then gives new significance to the Queen’s earlier sighting of the eagle and the falcon, where the larger, more imperious bird (the eagle) was taken down by the smaller, smarter falcon. Now, that same story has Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantiu
MESSENGER: Either an avenger or a wicked
god, my lady (whence it came I know not),
began the whole disaster. From Athenian
ranks a Greek approached, addressing Xerxes
thud: “When the gloom of blackest night
will fall, the Greeks will not remain, but leap
to their rowing benches, and each by secret course
will save his life.” And he your son, upon
his hearing this, in ignorance of Greek
guile and the jealousy of gods,
harangued his captains publicly: “As soon
as sunlit rays no longer burn the earth,
[…] rank the swarm of ships in three flotillas:
have them guard the entrances, the straits sea-pound;
and girdle others round Ajax’ island.
But if the Greeks escape their evil doom,
contriving secret flight, all your heads
will roll. I warrant it.” So he spoke
in confident pride: of the god-given future
he knew nothing.
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The Messenger, an eyewitness to the events at Salamis, now fills the Queen in on the military ploy that ultimately ensured Greek victory. In addition to providing important context for Aeschylus’s audience, this recap aligns quite accurately with history: Xerxes really was tricked by the Athenian general Themistocles, who acted as a double agent throughout the conflict, first gaining Xerxes’s trust and then betraying it. In passages like this, therefore, it becomes clear that The Persians—written and performed less than a decade after the Battle of Salamis—is meant as a way to record history just as much as it is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qu
MESSENGER: At once
concordant strokes of oars in roaring eddies
slapped the waters’ depths: soon we saw
them all: first the right wing led in order,
next advanced the whole armada.
A great concerted cry we heard: “O Greek
sons, advance! Free your fathers’ land,
free your sons, your wives, the sanctuaries
of paternal gods, the sepulchers
of ancestors. Now the contest’s drawn:
all is at stake!”
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As the Messenger recounts the moment of Greek triumph, he references a history that Aeschylus’s audiences would have been only too familiar with. For centuries, under King Darius and his predecessors, the Persian Empire had claimed control over various Greek territories, inciting conflicts and exacting tribute. 10 years before the Battle of Salamis, the Battle of Marathon marked the first successful Greek rebellion against Persian rule. But now, with their landmark victory at Salamis, the Greeks could at last claim to liberate their “fathers’ land,” to avenge their “ancestors” who had lived under Persian dominion. And in yet another telling Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur labo
QUEEN: Ah! woe is me, the army all destroyed.
O bright night’s spectacle of dreams,
how clearly you foresaw my woe,
and you, my counselors, how poorly you have judged.
But yet, as you counseled thus,
first to the gods I’ll offer prayer; and then
to Earth and the dead I’ll come to offer gifts
from the house, a rich libation. I know I pray
for what is done and gone, but a brighter
fortune, in time to come, may there yet be.
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After the Messenger departs, the Queen tries to process the destruction her son’s army has suffered at Salamis. But even as the Queen expresses her “woe,” she also appears uniquely able to look towards the future. Even as she mourns what is “done and gone,” she is determined to usher in “brighter” days ahead. And in bridging the gap between a hopeless present and a hopeful future, the queen turns “to the gods”: to religious prayer and “rich libation,” a series of traditional offerings made to deities and the dead. Shortly after this scene, the Queen’s libations (milk and honey Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut a
CHORUS, STROPHE C: They throughout the Asian land
no more will Persian laws obey,
no more the lordly tribute pay,
exacted by compulsion;
nor falling faceward to the earth,
will they make obeisance now:
lost is the kingly power.
CHORUS, ANTISTROPHE C:
Nay, no longer is the tongue
kept in check, but loose are men
when loosened is the yoke of power,
to shout aloud their liberty.
And Ajax’ island, soaked with blood,
its earth, and washed round by the sea,
holds the remains of Persia.
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Having sorted through their own personal feelings about the Persians’ loss at the Battle of Salamis, the Chorus now tries to predict how the political landscape of their world will shift. This series of Strophes and Antistrophes marks one of The Persians’ clearest departures from historical fact: though the Battle of Salamis proved pivotal in Persian-Greek relations specifically, it had far less of an impact on “the Asian land” as a whole than this chant would suggest. Instead, during Xerxes’s reign, Persia would actually tighten its control in other areas of the empire, like Egypt and Babylon. In these areas, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus
QUEEN: Everything, Darius, you will hear
succinctly: all of Persia is destroyed.
DARIUS: How? A lightning bolt of hunger? Civil
strife within the city?
QUEEN: No, but all
the host’s destroyed at Athens.
DARIUS: Whom among
my sons was the leader of the troops? Tell me.
QUEEN: Furious Xerxes, who drained the country manless.
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After Darius patiently urges his wife to tell him what has happened at Salamis, the Queen works up the nerve to announce that “all of Persia is destroyed […] at Athens.” It is telling that Darius at first assumes that this crisis has something to do with governmental mismanagement (“civil strife” or widespread “hunger”), pointing to larger tensions within the sprawling Persian Empire. And even when Darius learns that the disaster occurred on the battlefield, he is quick to blame his “sons” for bad decision-making, another way that Aeschylus subtly hints at weakness in the Persian government. There are two Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui
DARIUS: So now a fountain of troubles has been found
for all those that I care for; and my son
is the one who discovered it, in ignorance.
He hoped, in youthful confidence, to check
he sacred waters of the Hellespont
by chains, as if it were a slave. […] Mortal though he was,
in folly he thought to master all the gods,
including Poseidon. Wasn’t his mind diseased?
So now I fear the wealth I labored so
to acquire will fall prey to the conquerors.
[…] So his deed is done, great and unforgettable!
Never had anyone before made this city
Sousa so empty and so desolate,
since Zeus, our lord, bestowed that honor:
one man to wield the scepter of authority
over all of Asia, rich in flocks.
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In this essential passage, Darius links Xerxes’s downfall at Salamis directly to his son’s surplus of “youthful confidence.” In making this connection, Darius then gives explicit voice to the play’s critique of hubris: Xerxes lost at Salamis not merely because he strategized poorly, but because “he thought to master all the gods” rather than recognizing his own limits as a human. By contrast, Darius himself is deeply deferential in his speech, referring to Zeus as his “lord” and framing his kingly power as an “honor” the gods “bestowed” upon him. True “authority,” this monologue thus seems to suggest, comes not Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit.
DARIUS: There are no half-measures
in the outcome of the prophecies—either all
or none come true. In which case, he has left,
behind in Greece, trusting his empty hopes,
chosen numbers of his host, now stationed
where Asopus floods the plain and gives rich nurture
for Boeotian crops; there they’ll suffer soon
the lowest depths of woe, as final payment
for insolent acts and godless arrogance.
Invading Greece, they felt no awe or reverence;
they did not hesitate to plunder images
of gods and put their temples to the torch;
altars were no more, and statues of divinities
were uprooted and torn right off their bases
in utter confusion. Thus having acted wickedly
they now no less are suffering in return.
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The prophecy Darius mentions here does not appear elsewhere in The Persians. It is likely a reference, familiar to Aeschylus’s Athenian audience, to prophecies made by the famous Greek oracle at Delphi. But more than the prophecy itself, this monologue is interesting because of how it links Darius’s critique of hubris to his insistence on spiritual “awe” and “reverence.” Not only did Xerxes show excessive “arrogance,” believing himself to be equal to gods, but he also disrespected various holy sites (“temples,” “altars,” and “statues of divinities”). In doing so, Xerxes’s moral failing also becomes more specifically a religious one, as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut
DARIUS: And corpses, piled up like sand, shall witness
mute, even to generations to come,
before the eyes of men, that never, being
mortal, ought we to cast our thoughts too high.
Insolence, once blossoming, will bear
its fruit, a tasseled field of doom, from which
a deadly harvest must be reaped, all tears.
Behold the punishment of these! Remember
Greece and Athens! Lest anyone disdain
his present fortune, lusting after more,
and end up squandering great prosperity.
Zeus is the chastener of overboastful
minds, a grievous corrector. Therefore advise
my son, admonished by reason, to be wise
and cease his overboastful temper from
sinning against the gods. And you, aged
mother of Xerxes, go to the palace;
gather up rich and brilliant clothes, and go
to meet your son; for he, in grief, has rent
his embroidered robes to shreds.
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Darius has railed against hubris for an entire scene, but here, he zooms out, extending his warning against “insolence” into a message for “generations to come.” Xerxes’s failure to conquer Greece is not an isolated incident, Darius asserts. Instead, such overconfidence (when men forget their status as mere “mortals” and instead “cast [their] thoughts too high”) will inevitably lead to “doom,” just as crops planted in a “tassled field” must be “reaped” come harvest time. Indeed, Darius seems to want to hold his son up as an example of what not to do, urging his subjects (just like Aeschylus urges Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut ma
QUEEN: O god! How many sorrows move against me!
But one torment bites me deepest of all,
to hear how such dishonor holds my son’s
body and its robes. So I shall go
to gather proper clothing, and try to meet
him as he comes. When evils fall on those
we dearly love, never shall we betray them.
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Xerxes’s torn robes have been the topic of much conversation throughout The Persians. Indeed, the Messenger found this detail so essential that it was one of the first things he shared with the Queen. But here, the Queen gives more explicit meaning to that potent symbol, framing Xerxes’s torn garments as an outwards manifestation of the “dishonor” and shame her son feels inside. And because Xerxes has now externalized his inner state, the Queen is able to offer him some comfort—to “gather proper clothing, and try to meet him as he comes,” to make her love as tangible as her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantiu
XERXES, STROPHE A (singing): Here I am, ah, most lamentable:
to my native and ancestral land
I’ve become nothing but evil.
CHORUS (singing): Loudly shall I send, to greet your return,
an evil-omened shout, an evil-practiced cry:
a weeping wail I shall sing,
the wail of a Mariandynian mourner.
XERXES, ANTISTROPHE A: Send a wail of evil sound
lamenting and grievous; now
this god again has changed for me.
CHORUS: Mourning wail all-weeping shall I send,
in honor of the people’s suffering and sea-struck toils:
again a wailing filled with tears I’ll cry.
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All throughout the narrative, the Chorus and other characters have tried to predict what Xerxes’s return will be like, creating an image of an “overboastful” young man who, “dishonored,” now makes a spectacle out of his shame. So, it is surprising that when Xerxes re-enters, he immediately immerses himself in the Chorus, losing himself in the Strophes and Antistrophes of their unison chant. After wanting so desperately to be extraordinary, this shift then suggests that Xerxes now only wants to blend in, to be part of a communal “wail” that is larger and louder than his own. It is especially Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti sol
XERXES, STROPHE B (singing): Ionian Ares triumphed,
protector of their ships,
their partisan in war,
reaping gloomy flats of sea
and demon-haunted shores.
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Early in the play, the Chorus of Persian elders confidently chanted that “Persians are never defeated in battle,” boasting that “the archer Ares” (the Greek god of war) was a personal champion of Xerxes. But now that the Greeks have emerged victorious at Salamis, Xerxes has changed his tune, believing that Ares is Greece’s “protector,” the Greek soldiers’ “partisan in war.” Indeed, Xerxes even labels Ares as “Ionian,” a reference to the Ionian peninsula where Athens lies. Over and over throughout The Persians, Aeschylus’s characters have posited the Battle of Salamis as an inflection point, suggesting that the Greek victory Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis con
XERXES, ANTISTROPHE E (singing): Alas, too firm! I saw an unexpected misery.
CHORUS (singing): You mean the crowd of ships, routed and broken?
XERXES: I tore my garments at this calamity.
CHORUS: Ah, O woe!
XERXES: And even more than woe.
CHORUS: Double and triple the woe!
XERXES: Painful to us, but to our enemies joy.
CHORUS: And cut short was our power.
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As Xerxes recounts his shame and “misery” to the Chorus of his fellow Persians, they sing together of their joint “woe.” But when Xerxes and the Chorus repeat this one word over and over again, it begins to sound like a wail, as guttural and painful as the cry of “O” that proceeds it. The play thus further blurs the lines between performing and grieving, as what starts as a song becomes something wilder and more instinctive. But even as Xerxes gives into his “woe,” it is also crucial to note how he zooms out, considering the impact of the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque
XERXES (singing): Cry out antiphonal to me.
CHORUS (singing): A woesome gift in response to woe.
XERXES: Raising a cry, join together our songs!
XERXES AND CHORUS: O woe, woe, woe upon woe.
CHORUS: Hearing this calamity,
Oh! I am pierced.
[…] Black with bruises again the blows are mixed,
Oh, with the groans.
XERXES, STROPHE G: Beat your breast too and cry Mysian laments.
CHORUS: Pain, pain.
XERXES: Tear the whitened hair of your beard.
CHORUS: With clenched hand, grimly mourning.
XERXES: Shriek a piercing cry.
CHORUS: And so I shall.
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Previously, Xerxes has joined in with the Chorus’s unison chant—its Strophes and Antistrophes—through call and response. Now, Xerxes’s frames that back and forth as a more direct plea for community, begging the Chorus to “cry out antiphonal to me.” And the Chorus obliges, presenting their answer as “a woesome gift in response” to Xerxes’s own pain. In other words, this essential exchange makes explicit the idea that sharing grief—and, more specifically, performing it in community—is a way of alleviating it. No wonder, then, that Xerxes wants to “join together” with the Chorus, moving from call-and-response to a unison chant of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequa
XERXES (singing): Go wailing to your homes.
CHORUS (singing): O woe, ah!
XERXES: Cries of woe throughout the city.
CHORUS: Yes, cries of woe indeed.
XERXES: Softly stepping, moan in grief.
CHORUS: O Persian land in hardness stepped.
XERXES: Oh, oh, by triple banks of oars…
CHORUS: Oh, oh…our ships were destroyed by theirs.
We shall escort you
with mournful lament.
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In this final series of Strophes and Antistrophes (known as the “Epode”), the Chorus “escorts” Xerxes back inside the palace. The meaning of this shift is evident: having excised the worst of his pain in this communal “lament,” Xerxes is able to leave the public square and mourn in private (just as he instructs the members of the Chorus to similarly “go wailing to your homes”). The Persians’ loss at Salamis will not be soon forgotten for Xerxes, but this back-and-forth at least suggests that Xerxes will be able to continue on as a person and a leader, “softly stepping” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iu
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Xerxes, King of Persia Character Timeline in The Persians
The timeline below shows where the character Xerxes, King of Persia appears in The Persians. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Persians
...Persia’s royal family, introduce themselves as “protectors” of the empire’s treasure, bragging that Darius’s son Xerxes—the new king—has hand-selected them for their positions at court. Now, however, the Chorus is apprehensive,...
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...via the “way of Helle,” a thin strip of water between Turkey and Greece. Meanwhile, Xerxes himself led a group of men in a land invasion, some armed with spears and...
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...who have yet to return from Greece. Just as the Chorus wonders in unison whether Xerxes has been defeated, the Queen—Darius’s widow and Xerxes’s mother—appears from within the royal palace.
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...supposed to inherit Greece. But in the dream, the two sisters began to fight, so Xerxes tried to intervene, chaining the two women to his chariot. One of the women obeyed,...
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The Queen continues on with her dream: his chariot broken, Xerxes collapsed, prompting the ghost of his father Darius to appear. But when Xerxes saw his...
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...eagle captured and killed by a falcon. The Queen finishes her story, hoping that if Xerxes comes back a hero, he will be admired by everyone across Persia. At the same...
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...her offerings, the Queen asks the Chorus for more information about Athens, the Greek city Xerxes has gone to invade. The Chorus tells the Queen that Athens is a populous city,...
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The Messenger reveals that Xerxes has survived, and the Queen feels tremendous relief. But most of Persia’s most prominent generals,...
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...the Messenger reveals that the Greeks won by trickery. One day, an Athenian soldier approached Xerxes, whispering to him that the Greeks planned to flee the naval battlefield in their boats...
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All night, Xerxes’s men waited in their ships, yet no Greek boats ever set sail. Instead, at dawn,...
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...Queen can collapse in sobs, the Messenger shares more bad news. After the first attack, Xerxes tried to rebound by sending some of his most heroic generals to a small island...
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When Xerxes, seated on a hill overlooking the carnage, saw how many men had died, he began...
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...the dead. In the meantime, she asks the Chorus of elders to look out for Xerxes and to guide him home should he return to Sousa.
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...the Persians left alive. Though his father Darius was almost always successful in battle, when “Xerxes led,” the Chorus chants, “Xerxes lost.” Now, the Chorus pictures all the widowed Persian women...
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...has happened, explaining that “all of Persia” has been destroyed at Athens—and that their son Xerxes, leading failed campaigns both by land and by sea, is to blame.
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...battle, and he asks the Queen if there are any survivors. The Queen explains that Xerxes is one of the few soldiers to make it out alive, and that he is...
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The Queen tells Darius that Xerxes was egged on by foolish advisors, who told him that if he failed to attack...
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Still, Darius does not blame the Greeks for all this misery. Instead, he faults Xerxes and his forces for their arrogance, saying the gods turned against them because they refused...
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...prepares to return to the underworld. Before he goes, he asks the Queen to gather Xerxes’s finest clothing, since when Xerxes arrives, he will have ripped all his own robes to...
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At last, Xerxes arrives, collapsing the second that he spots the aged members of the Chorus in mourning....
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The Chorus asks Xerxes where the other Persian generals have gone, and Xerxes replies that he left them for...
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...to cry out, naming more and more generals who have been lost in the battle. Xerxes sings alongside them, showing the elders of the Chorus that he has ripped his robes...
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Xerxes and the Chorus raise their voices for one final expression of “woe,” reflecting that similar...
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