Greek · -525–-456
Aeschylus invented tragedy as we know it, transforming religious ritual into dramatic art by adding a second actor and reducing the chorus to allow for dialogue and conflict. He fought at Marathon against the Persians and later dramatized Greek victory in The Persians, the oldest surviving Greek play. His Oresteia trilogy remains the only complete trilogy from ancient Athens, tracing the curse on the House of Atreus from Agamemnon's murder through Orestes' revenge to the establishment of Athenian justice. His grave epitaph mentioned only his military service, not his plays, yet his theatrical innovations shaped all subsequent Western drama.