Oresteia by Aeschylus is one of the most important works of ancient Greek literature and the only complete tragic trilogy to survive from classical Athens. First performed in 458 BCE, the Oresteia—consisting of Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides—traces the cycle of violence within the House of Atreus and its resolution through the establishment of lawful justice. The trilogy dramatizes the transition from personal vengeance to civic law, culminating in Athena’s founding of the Athenian court of the Areopagus. By uniting myth, religion, and political theory, the Oresteia explores themes of justice, responsibility, and social order, making it a foundational text for understanding both Athenian democracy and the development of Western drama.

Prometheus Bound is one of the most powerful and philosophically complex tragedies of ancient Greek literature, traditionally attributed to Aeschylus. The play centers on the Titan Prometheus, who is punished by Zeus for giving fire and knowledge to humanity, presenting a dramatic conflict between divine authority and moral resistance. Unlike other Greek tragedies, Prometheus Bound portrays Zeus as a harsh and tyrannical ruler, while Prometheus emerges as a symbol of foresight, suffering, and defiance in the name of human progress. Its themes—power, justice, tyranny, and the cost of innovation—have made the play especially influential in later political, philosophical, and literary traditions. Whether written by Aeschylus himself or by a close contemporary, Prometheus Bound remains a crucial source for understanding Greek views of divine power, human advancement, and resistance to authority in classical thought.

Persians, written by the Athenian playwright Aeschylus in 472 BCE, is the earliest surviving Greek tragedy and a unique dramatic account of a historical event, the Battle of Salamis. Presented from the perspective of the defeated Persian court, the play explores themes of hubris, divine justice, imperial overreach, and the consequences of tyranny, offering a moral reflection on war rather than heroic celebration. As a foundational text for Greek tragedy, classical historiography, and Athenian political thought, Persians is essential for understanding Greek–Persian relations, tragic ethics, and the intersection of history and drama in ancient Greece.

Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus is a foundational work of Greek tragedy that dramatizes the catastrophic civil war between the sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices, over control of Thebes. First performed in 467 BCE, the play focuses on the defense of the city as seven Argive champions attack its seven gates, emphasizing themes of fate, curse, civic duty, and fraternal conflict. Aeschylus presents war not as heroic spectacle but as a grim necessity shaped by ancestral guilt and divine will, with the brothers’ mutual destruction fulfilling the curse of Oedipus. As both a political and religious tragedy, Seven Against Thebes is essential for understanding how Greek drama explored the relationship between individual responsibility, family violence, and the survival of the polis, making it a key source for early Athenian reflections on war and civic identity.

Suppliants by Aeschylus is one of the earliest surviving Greek tragedies and a crucial work for understanding ancient ideas about justice, asylum, and collective decision-making. The play tells the story of the Danaids, who flee forced marriage and seek protection in Argos, placing King Pelasgus and the Argive people before a moral and political dilemma. Unlike later tragedies focused on individual heroes, Suppliants emphasizes the authority of the community and its laws, portraying the polis as responsible for upholding divine justice and protecting the vulnerable. By dramatizing the tension between religious obligation, political risk, and civic consent, Suppliants offers rare insight into early Greek conceptions of human rights, state responsibility, and democratic choice, making it a foundational text in the development of political thought in Greek drama.

Poetics by Aristotle is one of the most important ancient sources for understanding the dramatic significance and innovations of Aeschylus. In the Poetics, Aristotle credits Aeschylus with transforming Greek tragedy by introducing the second actor, reducing the dominance of the chorus, and expanding dramatic dialogue and conflict. These technical developments allowed tragedy to move beyond ritual performance toward complex storytelling and moral exploration. Although Aristotle writes analytically rather than historically, his discussion preserves essential information about Aeschylus’ role in shaping tragic form and influencing later playwrights such as Sophocles and Euripides. As a result, the Poetics serves as a critical interpretive source, explaining why Aeschylus stands at the foundation of classical Greek tragedy and Western dramatic theory.