Details: Aeschylus' historical tragedy Persians, with its dire warnings against the hubris of imperialist overreach, is as relevant today as it was when first presented to an Athenian audience in 472 BC. This new edition of the classic drama features a literal translation by Mark Will (translator of Fernando Pessoa's Message) which reconstructs in contemporary English verse the epic cadences of the original Greek. Will's preface, which is supplemented with maps and timelines, offers ancient and modern historical perspectives on the play as well as essential background information on the Achaemenid kings, the Greco-Persian Wars, the Battle of Salamis, and Aeschylus himself. Copious notes in the back of the book provide commentary on selected passages and highlight parallels between the Persian imperium which tyrannized Greek cities in antiquity and the Pax Americana of the current age which seeks regime change in Iran and has indulged in reckless military interventionism throughout the Middle East and beyond.
