The Comparison of Xerxes and Attossas Relationship with Persians - Essay Example

Xerxes and Attossa’s and Achilles and Thetis The comparison between the two brings into perspective the memoirs of Ancient Greece and the pattern of the western mind. Xerxes was the oldest son of the matrimony between Attosa and Darius. However, Attosa lived to see his son invade Greece being the greatest and the direct descendant of Cyrus the Great. The authority of Attosa within the confines of the Achamenian royal house and court triggered Xerxes to take over the reins of his father (Philostrate et al 75). The rage between Achilles, the bravest of all, and Agamemnon, the powerful king among the Achaean allies prompted the Achilles to persuade her mother, Thetis, to intervene. She was an influential figure with the Zeus to bequeath the king of gods to inflict defeat and suffering on the Achaeans, so as to ruin Agamemnon. In this context, the comparison of the two is a reflection of the Persian wars, a time of incredible upheavals for the Greece (McDonald 90). The strife and standoff in between is a correspondence of city-states who fought against disheartening odds to preserve their autonomy and mortality. In affirming their mortality, the wars expose the expected tragedy as set along with striking lines. The quest of the two mothers (Attosa and Thetis) to grand their sons (Xerxes and Achilles) their rightful ego in the tumultuous year of the Persian invasion illustrates the evaluation. The events of Thetis to make Achilles immortal by holding him close to fire as an infant every night was to burn away the mortal parts as well as to rub him with ambrosia at the time (Philostrate et al 103). The acts of Attosa depict the return of bedraggled Xerxes to his royal court. This is the replica of Thetis. She inclines into consulting even gods for the sake of his son, Achilles. The mothers present dramatic acts in laying down a final coup to safe their status’ destiny. As a comparison to the Persian war, the fate of many of The Iliad’s heroes of the war occupies crucial space in the Greek mythologies. The Trojan War follows the sequence of events as given in Proclus’ and exposes the abilities of the greatest warriors. One cannot fail to figure out what could have happened had the influence of the mothers not put into consideration. The fact that each of these royal sons could only turn to their mothers to secure their political status beats the logic. Does it mean they could not reclaim their statuses? For example, the image of Persians as cowards is seen through the cowardly acting and melodramatic personality of Xerxes. An instance when he wails loud and tears his clothes is certain. There is also an indicative sign of the social and opinionated realities of the time. Much of the decision made by royal has less to do with what consequences will befall their people and this is what exactly the two sides extent to the immediate society they live. They present to one the certainties of the unknown knowledge of the Persians culture and customers. How these royal families operate is what has gone through many theatres of the time as highlighting a residual sense of fear that required some public exorcism of ridicule (McDonald 65). For example, there is an attempt to incorporate the Persian gods and customs. The depiction in the action of the mothers in deciding the destiny of their sons is that the gods were part of their reality. The standing fact is that Greeks did not know quite enough about the Persians rather than the grossly distorted caricatures of the time. This prompted unending discord to save each other’s autonomy and mortality (Philostrate et al 64). As history would reveal, the historical context stands to share that Persians, Greece had only met through war, and the danger of the strife is how it could not provide the basis for cultural exchange. This explains why the Persian nobles like Attosa and Thetis have to cry to Zeus. For example, Attosa offers libations to the dead ones and proprietary gifts to the gods in impression of Greek customs. At the struggle for her position, Xerxes continuously offers himself in the powers of the Zeus. Therefore, the evaluation of the two is an insight revelation of the predominant culture that even the noble bound themselves into (Philostrate et al 80). In addition, the need to appease their gods gave the vendetta to fight unrelentingly for their mortality within their majesty confines. As Aeschylus tells us, the two comparisons help to provide us with a combination of information into the political and social climate that existed then. The histories begin with the imminent rise of Persian power. This followed through its rapid expansion of the Achemenid empire and its explosive growth and expansion to link with mainland Greece. The matter at heart in these scenes is the importance of democracy. One can see when the Athenians sing of their discomfort as being no servants to any man (McDonald 84). As it is, the signs were ripe as the age of tyranny was over. On the other part, the Persians fail to comprehend what democracy entails as they brand the others as master less and unable to avert any invasion. This explains the fact that there was a role of Athenians in the Persian war. For example, the reason behind Xerxes attacking Athens is that the latter once conquered. It is from this inclination that Athens are seen as hegemonic, a loose collection of allied Greeks. One cannot fail to perceive a sense of general anger in the way queen Atossa expresses herself on the issue of Athens as not safe and ravaged. This reveals the possible and unmoving self-consciousness in the Athenian society. Thetis shares this sense of autonomy. The whole point of this campaign is to secure self-mortality and their son’s political status (Philostrate et al 115). It is thus historical facts that are only viewed from the perspective of the modern events. Their understanding is via the inevitable anachronistic perceptions of the time, during the 5th century Greek World. Moreover, just like Simonide compositions in his elegy on Greek victories of Plataea, he ends up comparing the Persian wars to Trojan wars. The two sides share the sheer inherent drama that made it more suitable for him to feature it on stage performances. For example, the historical figure of Darius, father to Xerxes, seems to assume the role of the wise man once ignored, a Nestor, who attempted once to reconcile the standoff between the Agemomnon and Achilles (Philostrate et al 70). This came to be even though it was ill timed since Xerxes had already done the villainous act of overreaching himself. His error was an attempt an act of his hubris in attempting to conquer Greece. Through Darius, there is the sharp contrast, which helps highlight this startling folly. This therefore brings the marked deviation from the historical reality in trying to compare a son and a father. Through the actions of Xerxes and Achilles, there is thus the presentation of states, which had gone and survived through immense odds of destiny and to some extents rightfully proud of their achievement. One reason behind all this is that at least their mortality and their political statuses was not at stake. Politically arguing, it was far much more secure in its democratic constitution and the benefits, which arrived with such strife. One should not fail to consider the social damage this struggle waged by Xerxes and Achilles brought (McDonald 122). The societies slightly remained not fully secure not to mention the damage, which came with the fight to secure one’s status. In support of this, the scholarly work of the great Herodotus accounts towards the Persians wars, and their political and social contexts. In summary, the diversity in highlighting of the Persians wars with their views of the Persian and Greeks, have helped immensely in giving a clue and hints as to how the nature of times unfolded. There is much misunderstanding between the Athenians and the Persians. The seemingly grim satisfaction highlighted by the mothers of Xerxes and Achilles can tell (Philostrate et al 49). Their son’s status matters most hence blinds them for the greater good. Readers greatly learn much about the long-term effect as exposed by the Persian wars upon the Greek identity. In every royal environs, the mother figure has featured as being an influential character in saving his son's political status. The fact the two mothers seem inclined to not only curve mortality in their family but also secure their son's fate exposes the comparisons they share. In addition, the Iliad’s and the Persian wars have come in so influence in how the political and social status. Much of what happened in Persia and the changes in Persian strife is a correspondence of the way The Iliad unfolds (McDonald 79). They draw comparison in all angles just to highlight the intensity that comes as an input for one to claim his or her status. Work cited McDonald, Marianne. The Living Art of Greek Tragedy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Print. Philostrate, l'Athe?nien, Jennifer K. B. Maclean, Ellen B. Aitken, Casey Due?, and Gregory Nagy. On Heroes. Leiden: Brill, 2003. Print. Read More