Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology (Facts on File Library ...

lack skin <strong>and</strong> white clothes. He encourages
the Chorus not to panic; he will begin to seek
support <strong>and</strong> protection for them. The Chorus
expresses its fear: The sons <strong>of</strong> Aegyptus are
ruthless warriors without concern for the gods
or their altars. Danaus encourages them again.
They will not be able to attack immediately, the
Argives will defend them, <strong>and</strong> the gods are not
on the aggressors’ side. Danaus exits.
The Chorus, terrified, asks where it can
go to escape the sons <strong>of</strong> Aegyptus; it expresses
its horror <strong>of</strong> being forced to accept husb<strong>and</strong>s
it does not want, <strong>and</strong> again beseeches Zeus
to protect it from the violence <strong>and</strong> lust <strong>of</strong> its
pursuers.
The herald <strong>of</strong> the sons <strong>of</strong> Aegyptus enters
with soldiers. In abrupt, harsh language, he
orders the Danaids to go to the ships, threatening
them with violence if they do not. The
Danaids st<strong>and</strong> firm, however, <strong>and</strong> refuse, defiantly
wishing the herald <strong>and</strong> his companions
ill. As the herald advances, the Chorus compares
him to a black spider advancing <strong>and</strong> calls
on Zeus <strong>and</strong> Earth (Gaia) for aid. The herald
<strong>and</strong> the soldiers begin to seize the suppliants
as they cry out in dismay. Pelasgus enters <strong>and</strong>
rebukes them for their behavior. Do they think
they have to deal with a l<strong>and</strong> where there are
only women? Do they not know how to behave
as strangers in the l<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greek</strong>s? In the
following exchange, Pelasgus <strong>and</strong> the herald
b<strong>and</strong>y comments about each other’s gods <strong>and</strong>
dispute the question <strong>of</strong> the suppliants. According
to the herald, they are the possessions <strong>of</strong>
the sons <strong>of</strong> Aegyptus; Pelasgus, however, insists
that they will not give them up to the sons <strong>of</strong>
Aegyptus on threat <strong>of</strong> violence. The herald
threatens war, <strong>and</strong> exits. Pelasgus promises
the Danaids continuing protection <strong>and</strong> bids
them find places to live in the city. They will
seek advice from their father, Danaus. Pelasgus
exits.
Danaus enters with an escort <strong>of</strong> Argive
soldiers. He expresses gratitude for their good
fortune. The Argive citizens support them
against their cousins, <strong>and</strong> he has been given
Suppliants
a bodyguard. He also remarks on the good
fortune <strong>of</strong> being <strong>of</strong>fered lodging in the city
free <strong>of</strong> rent; but he reminds the Danaids <strong>of</strong> the
power <strong>of</strong> desire <strong>and</strong> Aphrodite, <strong>of</strong> their own
“ripeness,” <strong>and</strong> the dangers <strong>of</strong> incurring a bad
reputation. The Danaids assure him that he
need not worry. They will keep to their present
course. In the final choral sequence, the
Danaids find themselves in dialogue with a
competing chorus, perhaps <strong>of</strong> Argive soldiers.
The Danaids express their thanks <strong>and</strong> loyalty
to Argos, their rejection <strong>of</strong> the Nile, <strong>and</strong> their
determination to avoid marriage. The soldiers
respond by proclaiming the paramount importance
<strong>and</strong> sacred power <strong>of</strong> Aphrodite; no one
can resist the power <strong>of</strong> Zeus, <strong>and</strong>, perhaps, the
Danaids may, in fact, marry. The Danaids continue
to ask Zeus to protect them from their
cousins, while the soldiers suggest that they
moderate their prayers. The Chorus turns once
again to Zeus for help, reminding him how he
saved Io. All exit.
CoMMEntARy
Aeschylus’s Suppliants dramatizes a grim episode
in <strong>Greek</strong> mythology that involves the
suffering <strong>of</strong> not merely one or two main
characters, but conflict <strong>and</strong> violence on a mass
scale. Danaus <strong>and</strong> Aegyptus, according to the
usual version <strong>of</strong> the myth, are the two sons <strong>of</strong>
Belus, who was a son <strong>of</strong> Libya, who, in turn, was
descended from Io <strong>and</strong> Zeus through Epaphus.
The sons <strong>of</strong> Aegyptus seek to marry the daughters
<strong>of</strong> Danaus. Each set <strong>of</strong> sons <strong>and</strong> daughters
are conventionally considered 50 in number.
Danaus <strong>and</strong> his daughters, in the Aeschylean
version, flee from Egypt to Argos, where they
seek protection from the local population ruled
by King Pelasgus. In requesting protection <strong>and</strong>
invoking the right to hospitality, the Danaids
are able to point to ancient kinship ties with the
Argives, since Io herself was a priestess <strong>of</strong> Hera
before being driven to Egypt by the gadfly. By
harboring the suppliant Danaids, the Argives
bring war with the sons <strong>of</strong> Aegyptus down on
themselves. Danaus ends up as the ruler <strong>of</strong> the