In these times of pandemic, geopolitical wars and the personal challenges we face every day, an important international event took place on the evening of July 25 in the famous ancient theater of Epidaurus, in the Peloponnese, Greece. For the first time ever a performance of Aeschylus’ The Persians was live-streamed on the worldwide web and available to an audience comprising the entire planet, giving everyone the opportunity to witness this powerful performance of the famous tragedy depicting the fight between freedom and empire. This author had the amazing opportunity to view the livestream of this event.
The performance was part of the annual Epidaurus festival where Greek tragedies are performed at the ancient site, which was sacred to Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of healing. Because the COVID-19 crisis prevented the usual thousands who come from all over Greece and around the world to the festival, it was decided to live-stream it and “invite the entire planet free of charge,” as director Dimitris Lignadis told the online audience at the opening of the event. Given the challenge to mankind posed by the pandemic, it was seen as very appropriate to perform this particular tragedy.
The Persians is among the earliest of Greek tragedies, first produced in 472 BC. It tells the story of the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, in which a much smaller Greek fleet devastated a huge Persian fleet comprising contingents from throughout the Persian Empire. Aeschylus himself had fought in the earlier Battle of Marathon. The play takes place in the Persian court and depicts the Queen and the Chorus of Elders, where they eventually hear from a messenger of the defeat of Xerxes.
