Individual and collective in Persians

Persians dramatises both Xerxes’ personal tragedy and the tragedy of Persia as a whole. This essay examines the means by which these two aspects of the Persian defeat are linked in the course of the play, with a particular focus on the metaphorical language of binding and separation introduced in the parodos. The references to Xerxes’ subsidiary commanders - the names of many of whom are catalogued at various points in the play – will turn out to play a particularly significant role in highlighting the interdependence of king and empire.