Il Memnone e la Psychostasia di Eschilo. Lo scontro tra oriente e occidente

The analysis of the fragments and testimonia of Aeschylus’ Memnon tragedies and the comparison with the extant Aeschylean dramas allow us to develop some suggestions made by scholars regarding the characterization of the Ethiopian king. Memnon was probably presented as a Persian king coming from Susa, whose fate followed the dramatic pattern of the self-confident barbarian warrior who is eventually killed by an Achaean. Accordingly, the conflict between Ethiopians and Achaeans alluded to the one between Persians and Greeks, which was directly experienced by the 5th- century Athenian audience.