Yea, made a high way, where his army passed. A mortal man on all the Gods that be He ventured war; the lordship of the sea, Poseidon’s realm (he judged so much amiss), Challenged and thought to quell.
~ The Persians by Aeschylus (G. M. Cookson translation. p23. line 745)
Following the messenger’s devastating news of the Persian defeat, the chorus and Queen Atossa are plunged into deep mourning. They are unable to believe that the mighty Persian army lost and blame the gods for not favoring the Persians. The messenger recounts the details of the battle, including the Persian strategy of splitting the army into two and attacking from different directions. He describes Xerxes’s extreme confidence in his army and the bridge construction that challenged Poseidon and Zeus.
In her despair, Atossa invokes the spirit of her late husband, King Darius, asking what must be done to save the rest of the Empire from further ruin. The ghost of Darius appears, and he also laments the downfall of Persia, attributing it to the divine punishment for Xerxes’ hubris. Though he criticizes Xerxes harshly, he tells Atossa that she has to take care of him when he returns. Xerxes returns, and he is fully grief-stricken. The play ends with the audience feeling sad for Xerxes.