The Political Background to Aeschylean Tragedy

The author examines the seven extant plays of Aeschylus against the political and military background of his time. As one who himself fought at the battle of Salamis, Aeschylus was profoundly concerned with military events (the messenger speech in Persians) and potitical changes (Eumenides). In this volume, Podlecki adopted a 'historicist' approach to tragedy, adding a new dimension to the understanding of Aeschylus' poetry.