THE SUPPLIANTS

Purchase The Suppliants

THE SUPPLIANTS is probably the earliest of Aeschylus' surviving plays. The story, taken from the Epic Cycle, tells how the fifty daughters of Danaus, sought in marriage by their cousins, the fifty sons of Aegyptus, fled for protection to a place near Argos. The fifty suitors overtook them and through a messenger commanded the maidens to give themselves up; but at this point the king of Argos interfered, sending the suitors off about their business. The play closes with a hymn of thanksgiving sung by the chorus.

Purchase The Suppliants

• The Suppliants: Danaos' Monologue - A monologue from the play by Aeschylus.
• The Suppliants - An introduction to the play and the trilogy to which it belonged.
• Aeschylus and His Tragedies - Biography of the Greek dramatist and analysis of his poetic qualities.
• Aeschylus Characterized - A brief poetic impression of the works of Aeschylus.
• Aeschylus Forever Lost - An account of the destruction of the complete works of Aeschylus.
• Changes Made by Aeschylus - An analysis of the innovations made by Aeschylus in the drama.
• The Eclipse of Aeschylus - Revered as Aeschylus was in his life and honored in his death, yet there arose a generation that laughed at his archaic diction and ridiculed his plots.
• The Oresteia - Summary and analysis of the dramatic trilogy consisting of: Agamemnon, The Choëphoræ, and The Eumenides.
• Patriotic and Religious Ideas of Aeschylus - Like most of the earlier Athenian poets, Aeschylus was intensely national. His plays reveal a constant care and anxiety for Greece and the traditions of greatness which she inherited.
• The Persians - A brief summary and history of the play.
• Prometheus Bound - Summary and analysis of the play.
• The Renown of Aeschylus after his Death - An account by Victor Hugo of the near deification of Aeschylus by the Greeks after his death.
• The Seven Against Thebes - A brief summary of the play.
• Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BC) - A biography.