Tragedies and Mysteries

Aeschylus, Demeter and More...

Dear Classical Wisdom Member,

Hello!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on one of the most famed myths of ancient Greece: the tale of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and the abduction of her daughter Persephone by Hades.

Through the centuries, the story has endured as one of the most popular and continuously retold stories from the world of Greek myth.

Specifically, though, we’re looking at it through the eyes of one ancient Greek: the father of tragedy, Aeschylus.

He had a rather different perspective on this myth: perhaps a perspective only a tragedian could have.

It’s also a suitable jumping off point for a greater reflection and analysis of the remarkable life of Aeschylus himself: he fought in the Battle of Marathon and saw the rise of Athenian democracy. On top of that, he also wrote the world’s first-ever courtroom drama.

His was a life marked by grief and controversy, yet it also produced some of the greatest literary masterpieces of the ancient world. Discover all about it just below…

Aeschylus is just one of the MANY writers featured in our 644-page hardback anthology The Essential Classics.

Featuring the best work of the greatest writers and philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome, including Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius and many more, it’s sure to be a much-loved holiday gift.

It has retailed previously as high as $249.00, but for the next short while you can have it for only $59.00 (plus shipping).

Check it out (and other handy Classically-themed gift ideas!) here:

Be sure to act now to leave enough time for shipping… you don’t want to end up with a tragedy!

All the best,

Sean Kelly

Managing Editor

Classical Wisdom

Tragedies and Mysteries

Written By Walter Borden, M.D.

Aeschylus speaks to me. Born in Eleusis, a village just north of Athens and the haunting grounds of the goddess Demeter, said to be the goddess of fertility and the harvest. To Aeschylus that was just a myth that masked her true identity—the goddess of grief. When he was a little boy crying at the grave of his grandfather, she’d whispered to him that his sadness and tears would make the soil rich, and would bring new life to sprout.