The Persians is an ancient Greek tragedy written during the Classical period of Ancient & Medieval Greece by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus. It is the second and only surviving part of a now otherwise lost trilogy. In the literature & fiction classic The Persians, Xerxes invites the gods' enmity for his hubristic expedition against Greece. The focus of the ancient medieval drama is the defeat of Xerxes' navy at Salamis. Given Aeschylus' propensity for writing connected trilogies, many scholars believe that the theme of divine retribution may connect the three. The Persians takes place in Susa, which at the time was one of the capitals of the Persian Empire, and opens with a chorus of old men of Susa, who are soon joined by the Queen Mother, Atossa, as they await news of her son King Xerxes' expedition against the Greeks. Aeschylus was an ancient Greek tragedian. In addition to Sophocles and Euripides, Aeschylus is the first whose ancient & classical plays still survive. Aeschylus is often described as the father of literature & fiction tragedy and many critics and scholars' knowledge of Greek, ancient & medieval literature, and dramas & plays begins with his work, and understanding of earlier tragedies is largely based on inferences from Aeschylus surviving plays. The Persians is often required textbook reading in the following disciplines; English, literature & fiction, Ancient & Medieval Literature, Greek, ancient & classical, dramas & plays, tragedy, world literature, and history.