1 Ghost of Darius, former King of Persia
2 Xerxes, Darius’ son & King of Persia
3 Maradonius, Persian general for Xerxes
4 Artabanus, Darius’ brother and Xerxes’ uncle
5 Leonidas, a King of Sparta
6 Themistocles, Athenian general
7 Artemisia, Queen of Halicarnassus
8 Persian Soldier #1
9 Persian Soldier #2
10 Persian Soldier #3
11 Spartan Soldier
12 Greek Soldier, Spartan ally
13 Athenian Commander
14 Persian Messenger
Citizens of Athens (Everyone else)
SCENE 1: Persia the Palace of King Xerxes: the Ghost of Darius and Xerxes (Xerxes is
sleeping and is awoken by the ghost of his father).
Ghost of Darius: Xerxes, my son, do not forget me! I chose you to succeed me because you
were the strongest of my seven sons. And yet, after almost 10 years you still do not invade
Greece. Do you not remember? The Athenians burned our precious city of Sardis in their help of
the Ionians. When I invaded Greece, 6,000 of our troops were slaughtered at the battle of
Marathon. Where is my revenge? For Sardis? For Marathon? Xerxes, do not forget!
Xerxes: I will give you your revenge father. I swear!
SCENE 2: Persian Camp in Asia Minor: Xerxes, Mardonius, and Artabanus
Xerxes: We shall bridge the Hellespont that separates Asia Minor and Europe! We shall march
our invincible army to Greece. We shall make the Athenians pay for what they did to Persia and
my father. Maradonius, you are my greatest general, what is your opinion?
Maradonius: I am with you, sire. The Greeks are bad fighters, horrible at battle on land. We
shall win, especially with an army the size of this one.
Artabanus: Xerxes, your father was my brother. I loved him too, and I also want revenge. But
this is madness. The Greeks might beat us in sea battles, they have relied on the sea for many
centuries now. There might be no harbor in Greece to shelter our large fleet. Our army is
gigantic. What if something happened to our ration ships that carry our food? Our soldiers would
starve to death! All the food in Greece could not feed all of our men. We need our ships to be
safe. And what if the Greeks dismantle the bridge you plan on building at the Hellespont? How
would we get home? Even if we conquer Greece, most would starve there.
Xerxes: These are the words of a coward, Uncle! I say it has been too long. I say our vengeance
is now! If I fail to punish the Athenians and make Greece mine than may I no longer be
descended from Cyrus the Great.
SCENE 3: Persian soldiers on the march in northern Greece: Persian soldier #1 and #2
Persian Soldier #1: Greece is much more mountainous than my home in Assyria.
Persian Soldier #2: I am scared of what waits for us in this land. It is nothing like my home in
Egypt we have no such mountains to climb over.
Persian Soldier #1: You are lucky, you joined us after the storm destroyed our first bridge on
the Hellespont. You don’t know how crazy King Xerxes is.
Persian Soldier #2: But the second bridge worked well.
Persian Soldier #1: Did no one tell you about what happened after the storm destroyed the first
bridge? King Xerxes ordered us to punish the sea! He made us whip it 300 times.
Persian Soldier #2: You mean you lashed the water with your whip?
Persian Soldier #1: Yes and who knows what gods were angered by it. I only pray the gods
haven’t gone over to the side of the Greeks.
SCENE 4: Greek camp outside of Thermopylae: Leonidas, Spartan Soldier, and Greek Soldier
Leonidas: It has been days now here at Thermopylae and our Greek allies have lost many men,
but we Spartans shall continue to fight on.
Spartan Soldier: Sir, you are the king of Sparta and have much experience but you were only
allowed to bring us 300 Spartans to fight. We cannot prevent thousands of Persians from
winning. Had only the ephors let all of us out to fight.
Leonidas: There is only this one pass that the Persians have to go through. Not all the Persians
can fit into it at once. We shall fight with our 300 to the end. Tell the remaining Greek soldiers to
leave. We Spartans will fight to the death and show the world our courage.
Greek Soldier: They say that the Persians will shoot so many arrows that they will block out the
sun.
Spartan Soldier: Then my friend, we Spartans shall fight in the shade.
Greek Soldier: All of Greece will remember your act of bravery.
SCENE 5: The tent of King Xerxes who sits on his throne: Persian Messenger and Xerxes
Xerxes: What news do you bring me?
Persian Messenger: Sire, for three days there were terrible storms. I am sad to report that we
lost 400 ships, many carrying food. But finally at Thermopylae, our land forces killed all the
Spartans.
Xerxes: And their leader? Leonidas?
Persian Messenger: Dead your majesty. Like all the Spartans who stood before you.
Xerxes: Tell my men to cut off his head and stick it on a pole. This will teach those who refuse
to give me their land and water, the symbols of tribute. Let all the Greeks know I am the king of
kings and that Persia will not be opposed.
SCENE 6: In a command tent in Athens: Themistocles and Athenian Commander
Themistocles: With the Spartans killed at Thermopylae nothing can stop Xerxes from reaching
Athens. We have to evacuate the city. We shall fight him at Salamis.
Athenian Commander: Wouldn’t it be better to fight at the Isthmus of Corinth and keep the
Persians out of the Peloponnesus? And you know the priests will not leave the city and their
temples.
Themistocles: Thousands of Greeks are trying to build a wall across the isthmus with stones,
bricks, logs, and sandbags. And we want to keep the Persians away from the Peloponnesus not
bring them closer to it. That is why Salamis comes in. As for the priests, they have their
responsibilities and I have mine.
Athenian Commander: But we only have 380 ships, the Persians have thousands.
Themistocles: Salamis is a small area. They will be able to move only a few ships in at a time. It
will be Athens’ version of Thermopylae, but where the Spartans fought on land, we shall fight on
sea.
SCENE 7: The tent of King Xerxes who sits on his throne: Persian Messenger, Xerxes,
Mardonius, and Artemisia
Persian Messenger: Sire, sire! Athens has fallen. The city burns as I speak. Our troops are
plundering the temple. The treasures of Athens’ acropolis are yours.
Xerxes: Excellent! How many prisoners did we take?
Persian Messenger: (nervous) Uh…Most of the city was empty. The Athenians left before we
entered. Only a few priests stayed on the acropolis to defend their temples.
Xerxes: (angry) In other words, I was made lord of NO ONE!
Maradonius: We still have an excellent chance of conquering them. The Greek fleet is
assembling for a naval battle at Salamis.
Xerxes: Salamis. What does my allied commander, the noble queen of Halicarnassus, think
about that? I have been very impressed with your cleverness, Artemisia.
Artemisia: With all due respect, Sire, I think it is a bad idea.
Maradonius: Don’t be ridiculous. We have at least twice, maybe three times, as many ships as
the Greeks do.
Artemisia: We may have more ships, but I think the Persians will be inferior to the Greeks on
sea. Sire, you have already conquered Athens. You control Greece. Have you not accomplished
your goal?
Xerxes: (thinking) Interesting, but I think I shall rely on Mardonius’ instincts.
SCENE 8: Xerxes looks over the battle of Salamis: Xerxes, Persian Soldier #3, and
Maradonius
Xerxes: Soldier what is happening?
Persian Soldier #3: (nervous) The Greeks, the Greeks are winning.
Xerxes: How is this possible? We outnumber them, but are beaten?
Persian Soldier #3: We are used to fighting on land your majesty more than on the sea.
Maradonius: Sire we can still attack the Peloponnesus.
Xerxes: But our fleet is ruined.
Maradonius: Give me 300,000 of our best men, sire. You return to Persia to ensure the Greeks
don’t destroy our bridge and you are trapped here. With your best men I will make you King of
Greece when you return.
Xerxes: Make sure your actions match your words, Maradonius.
SCENE 9: In Athens: Themistocles and the Citizens of Athens
Themistocles: Fellow Athenians, glorious news, our city is restored to us! Our beloved Greece is
safe from the Persians at last. Democracy lives! We have triumphed at Salamis and now at
Plataea. We killed the Persian commander, Maradonius, and reduced his army of 300,000 to
fewer than 3,000.
Citizens: Then the Persians are gone?
Themistocles: Yes we chased them back to Asia Minor.
Citizens: What about the bridge that Xerxes built? Won’t he come back?
Themistocles: We have destroyed the bridge and the nails that held it together will be placed in
the temple of Athena as an offering for the protection she gave us.
Citizens: Hurrah for Themistocles and all the brave men who fought for our liberty. Greece is
FREE!
ACADEMIC QUESTIONS ON “A SON’S REVENGE” PLAY
Name:____________________________________________
1) What Persian city does the Ghost of Darius blame the Athenians for burning?
a) Sardis
b) Marathon c) Plataea
d) Thermopylae
e) Salamis
2) In Scene 2, what does Artabanus fear when he says “There might be no harbor in
Greece to shelter our large fleet.”?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The Persians would not be able to build ships in Greece
The Persian fleet might need to be turned into houses for the soldiers in Greece
The Persian fleet would have no place to be safe in Greece
The Persian fleet would need to trade to eat in Greece
3) How is Greece different from the lands that the Persian soldiers are from?
a) It is hotter b) It is flatter land
c) It rains more
d) It is more mountainous
4) Why were only 300 Spartan soldiers allowed out to fight the Persians?
a) Some were already in Persia fighting
b) They were still training for battle
c) The ephors did not allow all the men out to fight
d) The rest were preparing to defend Athens
5) Who decides to have the Athenians fight at Salamis?
a)
Leonidas b) Themistocles c) Artabanus d)Artemisia
6) Why did priests stay in Athens when the Persians were coming?
a) To make peace
b) To hid the city treasures
c) To defend the temples
d) None of the above
7) Why does Xerxes go back to Persia and leave men in Greece?
a) He doesn’t want to be trapped in Greece
b) He is getting sick
c) He is afraid of a revolt in Persia
d) He has to attend his daughter’s wedding
8) What is the last battle in the Persian War according to the play?
a) Sardis b) Marathon c) Plataea d) Thermopylae
e) Salamis
9) What do the Athenians place in the temple of Athena?
a) Persian soldier’s weapons they used in the war
b) Nails that held the bridge together the Persians used to get into Greece
c) Pieces of destroyed Persian ships
d) All of the above
HONORS QUESTIONS ON “A SON’S REVENGE” PLAY
Name:____________________________________________
1What Persian city does the Ghost of Darius blame the Athenians for burning?
_____________________________________________________________________
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2) In Scene 2, what does Artabanus fear when he says “There might be no harbor in
Greece to shelter our large fleet.”?
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3) How is Greece different from the lands that the Persian soldiers are from?
____________________________________________________________________
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4) Why were only 300 Spartan soldiers allowed out to fight the Persians?
_____________________________________________________________________
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5) Who decides to have the Athenians fight at Salamis?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6) Why did priests stay in Athens when the Persians were coming?
_____________________________________________________________________
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7) Why does Xerxes go back to Persia and leave men in Greece?
_____________________________________________________________________
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8) What is the last battle in the Persian War according to the play?
_____________________________________________________________________
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9) What do the Athenians place in the temple of Athena?
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