.SCHYLUS, one of the first Grecian tragic poets and reformers of the stage. The accounts of the life of this author, as of most of the early Greek poets, have descended to us in a very questionable shape. In the hiography, which is generally prefixed to the editions of his works, he is said to have been contemporary with Pindar, the celebrated lyric poet. According to Herodo tus, (Herodot. ii. 156.) he was the son of Euphorion; hut we have no authentic information with regard to the cir cumstances of his parents, or the exact date of his birth. This much, however, is certain, that he was present at the battle of Marathon, (an. 490. ant. Christ. nat.) upon which occasion, he exhibited proofs of uncommon brave ry, and likewise at the battles of Salamis and Platxa, (Pausan. i. 14.) He pretended to have been encoura ged in a dream, by Bacchus, to attempt tragic poetry. Towards the close of his life, he withdrew himself from Athens, to the court of Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse. Va rious reasons have been assigned for his retreat. Some assert, that he was unable to bear the preference given to his rival Sophocles, who at this time began to rise in fame ; while others think his exile was the effect of cha grin, upon being obliged to yield the palm, in a poetic contest, to some younger poet. Plutarch. in vit. Onion. He is said to have consulted the Delphic oracle with re gard to the time and manner of his death, and to have received the following response : Ot;ecvny ee pixoc xzravrav Telum e cado missum tibi maturabit mortem.
Accordingly, it is reported, that he died in consequence of an eagle having let fall a tortoise upon the bald head of the poet, which he had mistaken for a rock. Plitt. x. 3. Val. Max. ix. 12. Extern. ii.
Before the time of R.schylus, the Grecian stage had scarcely emerged from its primitive state of simplicity. It is a circumstance well known, that the Grecian drama derived its origin from the different species of choral songs at the Dionysian festivals. The dithyrambic, or serious chorus, gave birth to tragedy, the burlesque cho rus to comedy. The commencement, however, was ne
cessarily extremely rude. Their tragedies, at first, con sisted of a numerous dithyrambic chorus, which was ac companied by noisy music, sung in rapid lyric measures. This exertion on the part of the chorus was found to be extremely fatiguing, and in order to give it relief, his, the first reformer of the stage, during the time of Solon, assigned pauses to the chorus, and, during the se intervals, a person appeared upon the stage, and deelain, ed in soliloquy. This was the first attempt to separate the narrative of action from the chorus. The next and most important improvements were made by zEschylu•?. of which Horace gives this account Instead of the soliloquy, he introduced a dialogue of two persons, who were clothed in a manner suitable to their respective characters, (..4ristot. Poet. c. 4.); and, on this account, he may be considered, in some measure, as the inventor of an appropriate apparatus scenicus. But the chorus still continued to constitute the principal part of the drama, until ./Eschylus introduced another improve ment, by making the chorus subordinate to the dialogue, and permitting the former merely to fill up the intervals, by singing a train of reflections upon the action repre sented.
JEschylus appears to have paid as much attention to theatrical decorations, and to all that is requisite to pro duce stage-effect, as to the study and preparation of his dramatic pieces. Vitruvius (lib. vii.) mentions, that ./.1go tharchus, at the desire of iEschylus, first constructed a proper stage at Athens, for the better representation of his tragedies.
He is said to have composed 80 or 90 tragedies, of which seven only are extant. These tragedies, accord ing to the judgment of all ancient and modern critics, are distinguished by an uncommon grandeur of style and loftiness of thought. Phrynichus calls him " f.S.E7aA0P4?V5TCIT5Y ;" Horace says, And Quinctilian criticises him as " Sublinzis et gravis, et grandiloquus serpc usque ad Orut, lib.