Aeschylus of gods and goddesses

 

 

Write in brief what you know about Aeschylus' gods and goddesses.

 

Ans. Aeschylus was, after all, a religious-minded man. But of all the Greek gods and goddesses he attributed supremacy to Zeus. For Zeus, in his opinion, was the arbiter of destiny and the undisputed ruler of the universe. Other gods and goddesses and all the celestial objects were under his complete command. Zeus is sky, and earth and heaven. He is the king of kings, the most blessed of the blessed. He controls all the immortals of Olympus. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Aeschylus had perhaps derived this idea of Olympians and Zeus, their head from the existing legends and myths. Zeus, to Aeschylus' vision was the symbol of universal law of justice. The earlier gods were less sensitive and more severe. It was the sense of equality that made the latter gods nearer to their devotees. It was also constant effort of Aeschylus to reconcile the two conflicting forces-the gods of the Olympus and the gods of the underworld. No sinner or person involved in crimes can escape punishment.

 

One important lesson that we find in Aeschylus' plays-violence breeds violence and demand justice.