Greek and Classical Civilisation pupils enjoyed a festival of ancient drama held at Warwick University. The day included a powerful performance of The Persians by Aeschylus, the earliest surviving Greek tragedy and the only one to draw its plot from historical events, together with inspiring talks from scholars of Greek drama.
Dr Xavier Buxton spoke on ‘Fear and the feminine in Aeschylus’ Persians’, exploring how the Persian characters in the play were presented from an Athenian perspective, and Dr Paul Grigsby explained the historical context of the play, giving the large audience of students a clear overview of the expansion of the Persian empire in the Sixth century.
It was an enjoyable and enlightening day for our pupils that added much to their understanding of the ancient world and the extraordinary drama it produced.
