Persians Summary
List of Characters (In order)
The Chorus: Made up of the old men of Persia
Atossa: Mother of Xerxes, Wife of Darius
The Messenger
Ghost of Darius
Xerxes
Susa, capital of the Persian empire …
The play opens on a public square in Susa, capital of Persia. In the background is a building which can be reached by steps, and downstage is a mound representing the tomb of Darius. The Chorus (made up of the old men of Persia) enter right, chanting.
The Chorus explain that they are the men who have stayed back from the war due to their age. They say that Xerxes, son of Darius, chose for them to safeguard the country in his absence. The Chorus question if the army will come home, stressing that all of Asia’s strong sons have gone to fight and no word has yet come back to Persia’s capital. We are told that the army left Susa’s defenses in three major ways: some on horse back, others by ship, and many walking foot soldiers. They then name off some Persian commanders (Amistres, Artaphrenes, Megabates, Astaspes) and claim that endurance gleams hard in their souls. Continuing their praise of the army, the Chorus highlight various different regiments like the Lydians and Babylonians, singing of all the greatness they have within them.
Suddenly, the Chorus come to a stark halt in their movement and song. The Chorus sing (and yes this is an exact quote): “This is the flower of Persian earth / the men now gone / and Asia’s land that held their roots groans out loud, / aflame with yearning. / Parents, wives in cold beds / count the days. Time stretches thin. / They wait and shiver”. The song then shifts into a description of the invasion of Greece, plotting how the army has clearly won the war through their epic march over land and sea into the enemy territory. Although Fate has long been on the Persian’s side, the Chorus acknowledge that God always has a craft scheme in store for all men.
At the end of their song, the Chorus begin a lament. They say that they will wear black for all the men who have been lost, stressing how many young men when to fight and, subsequently, have left empty beds at home.
Once they finish singing, the Chorus Leader asks for the Persians to assemble as they’re in need of a conversation. He asks the rest of the Chorus how Xerxes is faring in war, wanting to know all the details of Persia’s fight. As he’s talking, Atossa enters the stage in a chariot. The Leader tells the men to look up as the Mother of the Great King approaches and the men should all salute her. And so, the Chorus does exactly this.
The Chorus Leader addresses Atossa and expresses how highly her people view her. The Chorus all kneel in her presence.
When Atossa steps off of her chariot, the Chorus rise. Atossa says that the reason she has left her home (and subsequently the room where Darius once slept beside her) is because of her people. Despite her apparent confidence, she states that her anxiety has been plaguing her. As a result, she is with the Chorus to ask for help in what to do.
Of course, the Chorus tell her that they will help however they can as they intend to serve her well.
Atossa takes a breath and then divulges her fears and anxieties. She says that since her son (Xerxes) left with the army she has had many … strange dreams, shall we say. She notes that even though her son left for Greece very confident that he could make such a place Persian, her dreams suggest something else entirely. Atossa says that the previous night she dreamed of two well dressed women — one robed like a Persian and one like a Greek. When the pair came into view, they were both super tall and flawless in beauty. She states that the pair acted as sisters from the same parentage but their differences (considering one was allotted a Greece and the other Persia) caused them to argue. When her son heard this in Atossa’s dream, he tried to calm them by bridling the women like horses and attaching them to his chariot. Unfortunately for Dream Xerxes, one of the women-turned-horses bucks away from the bridle and chariot, causing him to fall off. In his embarrassment, Xerxes looks up to see his father, Darius, standing beside him and nodding his head with pity. And that, according to Atossa, was the whole dream she had. When she woke up and washed herself in the spring to rid her of these bad dreams, she went to Apollo’s altar in the hopes of pleasing the god. As she was busying herself with offerings, she saw an eagle fleeing towards the altar’s flame. Atossa says that she was frightened and just stood there in awe. Suddenly, a hawk flew close to the eagle and gripped its talons into the other bird. Shockingly, Atossa reports that the eagle did nothing to save itself, merely allowing the hawk to win the attack. It’s the combination of BOTH the dream and the bird attack that causes Atossa to have so much anxiety now.
The Chorus reply and tell Atossa that her anxiety should prompt her to go and pray to the gods. She should pray not only for her children, but also for all of Persia. After she has done this, then she should pour out a libation and pray to her (now dead) husband and ask him to send blessings for her and Xerxes. They end by comforting her that if she does all of this then everything should turn out well.
Hearing their advice, Atossa agrees that she should follow their advice as soon as she goes home. For now though, she’s only concerned with learning more details of the war her son has gone to fight — I mean, where even IS Athens, am I right? And so, the Chorus start answering her many questions to the best of their ability.
News arrives from war
As the pair are talking, the Chorus suddenly interrupt to direct Atossa’s attention off stage. They note how there is someone coming towards them (who is clearly Persian) which can only mean one thing: they have a message. Good or bad.
The Messenger enters and tells them that the whole expedition (aka Persia invading Greece) has been lost.
The Chrous then sing on how cruel this is and encourage those who hear the news to weep.
The Messenger and the Chorus have a little back and forth until, finally, the Chorus ask if the Persians ever had a chance. The Messenger solemnly replies that they did not. He stresses that there are now corpses of Persian men on Salamis and the surrounding nearby shores.
As they continue this back and forth of “Noooo! How could we have lost!!!” (not an exact quote*), Atossa cuts in. She says that their pain is quite literally out of their control since the gods bear it down upon them. Instead of dwelling on the physical reaction to the news, she asks who of their men is dead verses who still survive.
The Messenger opens his response with the most important name: Xerxes himself still stands! Obviously Atossa cuts in to say that she’s thrilled, but the Messenger doesn’t give Atossa much room for celebration as he continues to list off the men who are dead.
As you can guess, Atossa does not handle this too well. She cries out in lament, shaking her fists at the sky. Once she has calmed herself down enough to speak, she asks the Messenger how big the Greek army were to cause such problems.
In response, the Messenger says that if it was down to numbers alone, the Persians would have won as the Greek ships totalled only ten times 30 (so 300 ships) whereas Xerxes commanded a full 1,207 ships. The Messenger says that it must have been the gods who tipped the scales of luck towards the Greeks and kept Athens safe.
Hearing these stats, Atossa questions if Athens has been sacked. The Messenger replies (something along the lines of) “Right… that would be a no.” Atossa asks who made the first attack and the Messenger describes how it all began, initially saying, again, that it was something not human (because obviously it can’t be human if it beat the Persians! It must be a god!). The Messenger relays how the Persians were going to deploy their ships in a certain fashion, but they could not know the outcome set by the gods. When night came they all went out in formation. When daylight finally broke over the sky, the first thing the Persians heard were the Greeks … singing together? Instead of confusing the Persians, this terrified them. Slowly, the Greeks came into view and started attacking, quickly overpowering the Persians. The Messenger ends by saying that never in a single day of war had they lost so many thousands of men.
Atossa interjects to ask what more suffering the men had to live through and how these young men died? The Messenger goes on to say that Xerxes had positioned some Persians on the coast of Salamis to kill the Greeks if they tried to swim ashore. Unfortunately, since the Greeks won this battle, the Persian men on shore were battered to death by stones and arrows thrown by the Greeks. In fact, we’re told by the Messenger that the battle only ended when the Greeks were sure they had butchered every last Persian man. When Xerxes heard of this — according to the Messenger, anyways — he supposedly ripped his shirt and wailed in lament.
A lament erupts through Atossa once more as she calls up to the gods. When she’s finished she turns to the Messenger, asking what happened to the ships that outran their doom.
The Messenger says that the ships captains and the survivors ran onto the mainland. Though few of them survived, most of them died from thirst and hunger. It’s for these men that the Persians should lament. After this, the Messenger exits the scene.
The Chorus now step in to wail their own lament.
Once they’re done, Atossa says that she is heartsick for the portion of the army that has been slaughtered. She cries at the idea that the cruelties of her dreams have come true. Looking to the Chorus, Atossa yells at them for trying to comfort her after they heard of her dream. She informs them that she is going to pray to the gods at the altar, however if her son returns whilst she is gone, she asks the Chorus to treat him kindly. After she has lined up all of her orders, Atossa gets back on her chariot and exits the stage with her attendants.
Now alone on stage, the Chorus start chanting up to the heavens and say that God, the greatest king, has destroyed them and shrouded Susa and Ekbatana in grief. Mothers are now full of sorrow and wives/Persian brides wail softly. They sing (something like): “We also sing for the men who are dead and gone. Xerxes convoyed these men, he destroyed these men, and he brought everyone down. Once all of Susa’s men loved Darius, but how times have changed. Warships convoyed them, warships destroyed them, and warships brought them down. Now we hear that theres a chance Xerxes is alive — how can this be? Those who live on Asia’s earth will not long be ruled by Persian law nor longer pay tribute under the empire’s commanding grip. The bloody beaches of Ajax’s island now hold Persia’s heart.”
Atossa returns to the stage (this time on foot) dressed and ready for mourning. She enters, again, with her attendants and they are all carrying jars and garlands needed for making libations. Atossa now says (something along the lines of) “It’s natural for humans to be scared but we must remain calm and trust that Fortune is fair. The god’s hostility shows plainly and this is why I have returned without my queenly garb to bring my son’s father libations.” She points to the jars her ladies are carrying and then continues (with something kind of like): “But these libations need hymns so SING, CHORUS! Call upon Darius while I send these down to him.”
The Chorus Leader agrees that they will sing for her as she pours her libations.
And so, Atossa and her ladies pour their ceremonial libations while the Chorus sing. When they finish they begin “ghost raising” and Atossa sits at the tomb’s base (the tomb of Darius, which I mentioned in the staging note right up top of this article). The Chorus call upon the earth, soul guide and king and ask if their king can hear their words. They ask him to wake up and say that they love the man in the tomb and everything they love is covered in the Hand of Death, but now they ask this Hand of Death to free Darius. They then fall to their knees to hammer and claw at the earth as if to physically help free the Ghost of Darius from his tomb. They then ask him directly to break free since he is the father who brought the people no suffering. After this moaning song, the Chorus slowly stand.
The ghost of Darius rises
From out of the tomb, the Ghost of Darius rises from his tomb. He asks the Chorus what troubles oppress his people so much that they felt the need to summon him. After this he looks to Atossa, saying that he can sense fear from within her. Atossa sobs as Darius turns back to the Chorus, waiting for them to tell him of their struggles.
The Chorus sing their praises of Darius, claiming that their awe of his presence binds their tongues.
As you can probably guess, Darius is all “Come on start talking here — I literally do not have all day for this.” The Chorus repeat what they said again while Atossa begins her lamenting off in the corner. Darius says (something like) “Okay fine, if you guys can’t tell me then let Atossa speak on your behalf PLEASE AND THANK YOU.”
Atossa tells Darius exactly how it is: that Persia has been crushed in battle.
Darius is SHOCKED by this. He asks how this happened, to which Atossa tells him of the Athens expedition. Following this, Darius asks which of his sons invaded Greece. Atossa informs him that it was Xerxes, which causes Darius to call his son INSANELY stubborn. Despite this, Darius presses on, asking Atossa if he went to Athens via land or sea.
Now, when Atossa tells Darius that Xerxes went both ways because he built a bridge over the Hellespont that allowed his footsoldiers to waddle their way over there … Darius is completely dumbstruck. He literally turns around and says (something like) “HE WHAT NOW!?” and Atossa goes “YEAH — I KNOW! TOTALLY CRAZY! He must have had help from the divine or something to pull that off because WOW!” (Obviously, that is not an exact quote).
Anyways, after they’ve had their moment gossiping about the bridge, Darius wants more details about Persia’s defeat. He asks what exactly happened and Atossa informs him that their ships were lost and now Susa’s streets are empty of men. Darius is, understandably, NOT happy and so calls his son a “wretched man” for killing all these men. However, he does ask Atossa if their son is safe, and of course, she confirms that he is.
Darius then says that the prophecies he had once heard have now come true. He explains that his son’s ignorance and recklessness have brought on their defeat. Darius accentuates that his own wealth he earned through hard work, however all of this good has been overturned by Xerxes. It’s because of him that Persia will become nothing more than spoils to the first looting hand.
Atossa suggests that Xerxes ignorance and recklessness are a result of “evil-minded men”, to which Darius replies that because of this, Xerxes will always be remembered for the emptying of Susa. He then goes into the history of Persia’s winnings, starting with the Medes, then Cyrus, then Cyrus’ son piloted the army and Mardos led, then Artaphrenes, and then Darius comes into the story. The Ghost claims that despite all his fighting he never put his people through anything like this, but now Xerxes seems to have forgotten all the lessons Darius once taught him about being a leader.
The Chorus then ask Darius if Persia will be able to come back from this, and the Ghost of Darius warns them that they should NOT fight the Greeks again (which is honestly advice I could have given but alas).
When Darius continues talking to say that even though he knows some of Persia’s men survived, he clarifies that these soldiers will not see a safe return home. The Chorus ask him to clarify, to which Darius says that an Oracle told him so. He says that when an Oracle gives their prophecy, such things cannot only partially come true. Given that a bit of the prophecy has already come to fruition, Darius explains that the rest of the prophecy needs to run its course. The Ghost goes on to say that it is prophesied that Xerxes will need to learn to know himself and only then will he stop wounding others with his reckless pride. Turning to Atossa, Darius instructs her to go and face their son when he returns. He says that she must speak kindly to him because he will only listen if she is able to comfort him.
The Ghost of Darius begins to descend back into his tomb and his voice starts fading away. Before he disappears, he ends his speech by bidding them farewell encouraging them to enjoy their days of living “for wealth is useless to the dead.”. With that, Darius vanishes.
The Chorus Leader stresses that — if Darius’ words are anything to go by — disasters are present and coming their way.
In response, Atossa yells up at the gods, claiming that now Shame’s clothing hangs on her son’s body. Once she's done being mad at the divine, she turns to the Chorus and tells them she’s going home. Only once she has rested and eaten will she go to face Xerxes. She then exits with her attendants.
The Chorus now sing and ask god to pity them. They sing of the good old days when they used to know the life of grandeur and virtue under the stable rule of Darius. Back then, men would return home unwearied and unwounded … which is obviously not the case anymore. They go on to think about ho many cities Darius captured without crossing the Halys river, including a number of islands like Lesbos, Khios, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Andros, Lemnos, Paphos and so on and so forth. But now, the Chorus stress that they must endure the harsh realities of being overturned in war.
Xerxes returns home
Xerxes now appears on stage … well, kind of. Xerxes is sitting in a curtained carriage drawn by ragged men, however we know he is inside although he cannot be seen. From inside the carriage, we hear Xerxes call out (something like) “NO! I have confronted hateful doom! There were no warning signs for this! WHAT NOW! I am helpless and now must face the fathers whose sons will not return home. I wish I had gone down with the men who fell to avoid bringing such news to Susa!”
The Chorus Leader chants back, saying that Xerxes has devoted his sorrow to the men who some deathless power cut away. The Chorus then join in to say that earth herself mourns for these soldiers and Asia has been forced down on her knees.
Xerxes, who is dressed in rags, then climbs from the carriage. He turns to the Chorus and orders them to look his way and cry out their sorrow. The Chorus do as he says.
Next, Xerxes says that each breath they draw should sound like a lament. The Chorus agree and then tell Xerxes to listen as the nation howls for their children.
When Xerxes claims the Greeks stole their victory, the Chorus bombard him with questions — but mainly, they want to know where the men are who left Ekbatana with the army and marched behind their king. Xerxes says that he had to leave theses men behind because they fell from the ships at the battle of Salamis. He claims that they were beyond help and there was nothing he could do. However, the Chorus double down. They accentuate that there were thousands of men who followed Xerxes to Athens … but Xerxes cannot give them the response they so badly want to hear. Because of this, the Chorus conclude that Xerxes left his men slaughtered and drowned, far away from home. The rumours are therefore true. Xerxes is now rolling out a horrible grief to Persia’s old men (aka, the Chorus).
Xerxes exclaims that if he could charm back these souls to life, he would. The Chorus can’t quite believe that these men are gone. To attempt to lessen the blow, Xerxes tells them of just how difficult it was for the Persian forces. He says how tough and scary the Greeks were, and how highlighting this causes him much shame.
Finally, Xerxes encourages all the men to lament.
The play ends with the Chorus surrounding Xerxes and together, lamenting and making gestures in mourning, they circle the stage as if walking through the city.
Exit all.
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Thumbnail Image: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/257407
Two terracotta roundels with theatrical masks
Greek 1st century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 161
“A pair of terracotta roundels with theater masks.” (Copied from Met Museum website).