Aeschylus' biography

Birth

524 BCE

524 B.C.E. Eleusis, Greece. Born into a wealthy and noble Athenian family. Father was Euphorian.

Early life

510 BCE

Aeschylus studied Homer as a child. Homer ended up being the most inspiring to learn from when Aeschylus started writing as a teenager.

'Aha' moment

506 BCE

Worked in a vineyard during youth.

Eleusinian Mysteries

505 BCE

Was initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries:an ancient cult that followed Demeter. Initiates would gain knowledge that no-one else knew about. They likely mainly pertained to the afterlife

Beginnings of writing

500 BCE

As a child, Aeschylus worked at a vineyard until, according to the 2nd-century CE geographer Pausanias, the god Dionysus visited him in his sleep and ordered him to focus on the nascent art of tragedy. As soon as he woke, he began to write his first play

Personal

500 BCE

Aeschylus got married and had two sons. They were called Euphorion and Euaeon; both of whom went on to become tragic poets themselves. Euphorion won a prize against Sophocles and Euripides.

First performance

499 BCE

Took place when he was 26 years old

Travel

499 BCE

Aeschylus travelled to Sicily several times.He was invited by the tyrant of Syracuse; Hiero 1.

Personal biography

490 BCE

Became a soldier and took part in turning back a Persian invasion at the Battle of Marathon

Fun fact

490 BCE

Of the 90 plays Aeschylus is said to have written, only 7 have survived.

Aeschylus' brother

490 BCE

Aeschylus' brother Cynegeirus fought to defend Athens in the Battle of Marathon against Darius I. When Cynegeirus died while trying to prevent a persian ship from reaching shore it cause Aeschylus much grief

The Oresteia

488 BCE

It is the only complete trilogy of Greek playwrights that currently exist. They tell the story of the King of Argos' (Agamemnon) family. The Oresteia consists of Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides.

First competitions

484 BCE

Enteredhis tragedies into an annual Athenian competition. His stories had strong moral authority and were very Athenian.

The Persians

472 BCE

It is the earliest of Aeschylus' extant plays. The play was based on The Battle of Salamis and his own experience. It's unique in ancient greek tragedies because it described a recent historical event. The Persians deal mainly with hubris and blames the pride of the King for Persia's loss.

Cleisthenes' reign

470 BCE

Came to power and promoted importance of deme in family traditions

Unique factors about plays

470 BCE

Aeschylus wrote all of his plays in verse and refused for there to be any violence onstage. They all have a strong moral or religious emphasis and have a remoteness from day to day life

Seven Against Thebes

467 BCE

Another one of his more famous plays. Uses the God's interfering in human affairs as main theme.

Influence on Greek drama

467 BCE

Greek theatre already had one actor that interacted with the chorus but Aeschylus' contribution was that he added another one. This allowed for more variety between the cast. Sometimes he is also credited with beginning scene decoration or skenographia. However, this is contended as as Aristotle gives this honor to Sophocles.

Costumes

465 BCE

It is said Aeschylus made the costumes more elaborate and dramatic than they had been before. He also made the actors wear platform boots so they could be more easily seen by the audience.

Lost plays

460 BCE

Many of Aeschylus' plays have been lost over time. Some of these include Myrmidons, Nereids, Phrygians, Hector's Ransom and Niobe.

Death

456 BCE

Aeschylus returned to Sicily in 458 for the last time. A few years later he passed away in the city of Gela. Valerius Maximus wrote that he was killed by a tortoise shell dropped by an eagle. This apparently was not that uncommon. According to legend, Aeschylus had heard a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object and was spending most of his time indoors.

Tombstone

455 BCE

Aeschylus' tombstone made no mention of his achievements as a playwright, only as a military man. It said, "Beneath this stone lies Aeschylus, son of Euphorion, the Athenian,
who perished in the wheat-bearing land of Gela;
of his noble prowess the grove of Marathon can speak,
and the long-haired Persian knows it well."

Reference page 2022

450 BCE

http://tonsoffacts.com/30-interesting-and-awesome-facts-about-aeschylus/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist https://kidadl.com/fun-facts/85-aeschylus-facts-learn-everything-about-the-father-of-tragedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeschylus https://www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Aeschylus.html