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When Aeschylus was a young man, an oracle gave a prophecy that he would perish after being struck by a falling object in the skull. There is a prevailing story of Aeschylus’s death, and it is perhaps not what the poet himself would have liked to be remembered by. The Entertaining Tale of Aeschylus’s Death The Death of Aeschylus, Tobias Verhaecht, 1576, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

By adding another actor, Aeschylus heightened the interpersonal tension onstage and opened the possibilities for plots driven by more than one character. This meant that many plays could be more easily interpreted as long, complicated monologues with the occasional intercession from the chorus. Previously, the Greek dramatic actor could only engage in dialogue with the chorus. Perhaps Aeschylus’s most prominent contribution to the tragic theatre is his addition of the second actor. Portrait of Aeschylus, Ambriose Tardieu, 1820-1828, The British Museum After his contributions to the production of tragedy, one might understand why he felt indignant enough to retire to his well-traveled haunt in Sicily. It is thought that he was righteous after losing to someone with less experience than himself, the father of tragedy. He died in the Sicilian city of Gela, where he had journeyed in a state of self-imposed exile, possibly due to a professional conflict after losing the first place at the City Dionysia to Sophocles. Aeschylus expanded the form of tragic theatre by the time that he passed away in 455 BCE. This is the author credited with popularizing tragedy as a respected genre of poetry. 1st-2nd century CE, Cornell University LibraryĪeschylus was born in 525 BCE in Eleusis, the famous site of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Who Was Aeschylus? Bust of Aeschylus, ca.