Aeschylus and War
Journal Data
| Type | SOURCE_BOOK |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| ISBN-13 | 9781315559841 |
| Open Library | OL21316352W |
| Total publications | 4 |
| Coverage period | 2017 - 2017 |
| Language | EN |
Though the spurious ending of the Seven is one of the earliest documents in the reception history of the Antigone, the Antigone itself is deeply indebted to Aeschylus' play. Antigone's gesture becomes one of the means by which the self-destructive potential of Creon's thirst for power is realized. In terms of Bertolt Brecht's own antithesis, her stance may be 'moral', but it is not 'practical'. Brecht undercuts the exemplarity of the grand moral gesture by emphasizing its practical consequences and pointing out its subjectivity and self-referentiality. In doing so, he highlights the distinction between the internal divisions of the ruling class and the more fundamental, dialectical opposition between rulers and ruled. The Prelude in itself sets up an analogy between Creon's wish that Thebes be destroyed with him and the last days of Hitler; the failure of his aggression against Argos and the immediate turn in the tide of the war that this entails turns Argos into Stalingrad.
Aeschylus and War
Greek armies against towns
This chapter aims to put Seven in its historical military context in order to find out not only what historical events and particular military practices could have influenced the narrative but also how it can possibly contribute to the understanding of what is usually labelled 'siege warfare'. The Aegean had a long experience of siege warfare and was no stranger to patterns of invasion, assault and destruction of urban centres. This experience wa…
Eteocles and Thebes in Aeschylus’ Seven against Thebes
The great moment of Athens' hoplite army, composed of citizens unaided by allies or mercenaries, and before its primacy was lost to the fleet, was of course Marathon. One of the Marathon inscriptions has interesting points of contact with Seven and tends to support what has been said here about the Athenian audience's perception. One of the places in which Marathon ideology turns up is the agōn of Aeschylus and Euripides in Aristophanes' Frogs. E…
The music of war in Aeschylus’ Seven against Thebes
War was an integral component of fifth-century Greek life, both in the form of active participation in war-making as a soldier or sailor and in terms of direct or indirect encounters with the deadly and painful consequences of war. Fifth-century Greeks were also very musical, of course. Occasions for public and private musical performance were numerous and are relatively well-documented for modern scholars to study. In the contest scene of Aristo…
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Aeschylus and War
Greek armies against towns
This chapter aims to put Seven in its historical military context in order to find out not only what historical events and particular military practices could have influenced the narrative but also how it can possibly contribute to the understanding of what is usually labelled 'siege warfare'. The Aegean had a long experience of siege warfare and was no stranger to patterns of invasion, assault and destruction of urban centres. This experience wa…
Eteocles and Thebes in Aeschylus’ Seven against Thebes
The great moment of Athens' hoplite army, composed of citizens unaided by allies or mercenaries, and before its primacy was lost to the fleet, was of course Marathon. One of the Marathon inscriptions has interesting points of contact with Seven and tends to support what has been said here about the Athenian audience's perception. One of the places in which Marathon ideology turns up is the agōn of Aeschylus and Euripides in Aristophanes' Frogs. E…
The music of war in Aeschylus’ Seven against Thebes
War was an integral component of fifth-century Greek life, both in the form of active participation in war-making as a soldier or sailor and in terms of direct or indirect encounters with the deadly and painful consequences of war. Fifth-century Greeks were also very musical, of course. Occasions for public and private musical performance were numerous and are relatively well-documented for modern scholars to study. In the contest scene of Aristo…