Meanwhile : Beware of hubris

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Meanwhile : Beware of hubris

Published: 12 Mar. 2026, 00:05

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kim Myung-hwa

The author is a playwright and director.

Iran’s old name was Persia. An ancient Greek tragedy titled “The Persians” (472 BCE) tells part of that story. Written by Aeschylus, the playwright who helped establish the basic structure of drama by introducing a second actor, the work depicts the Persian Wars that shaped the fate of early civilizations.

After winning the conflict, Greece emerged as a starting point of Western civilization and for centuries exerted a profound influence on human thought and culture. One cannot help wondering how history might have unfolded if Persia had prevailed instead.

On Sept. 25, 480 BCE, the Greek allied fleet led by Athenian commander Themistocles defeated the Persian navy at Salamis, securing Greece’s victory in the Second Persian War. Shown here is “The Battle of Salamis” (1868) by German painter Wilhelm von Kaulbach. [WIKIPEDIA]

Aeschylus himself fought as a soldier in the battles of Marathon and Salamis. His firsthand experience allowed him to portray the Battle of Salamis with unusual immediacy, giving the play lasting value as a historical source.

He describes how Greek warships used bronze rams mounted on their prows to smash the far larger but slower fleet of the Persian Empire. In modern terms the tactic resembles the use of inexpensive yet agile new weapons, something like drones used in contemporary warfare.

Yet Aeschylus did not revel in the arrogance of victory. Greeks of the time valued restraint and harmony and warned against hubris, the human arrogance that trespasses into the domain of the gods. They also tried to take responsibility for catastrophe caused by errors of judgment, what tragedy calls hamartia.

Aeschylus was especially sensitive to the danger of hubris. His works repeatedly reflect on how the pride of heroes who lose self control can lead to bloodshed and madness. “The Persians” follows the same path.

The play focuses not on the triumph of Greece but on the suffering and lament of the defeated Persians. It also reflects on the arrogance of a ruler who, in his zeal for conquest, even ordered a bridge built across the Hellespont, an act many in the ancient world saw as defying the order of nature and the gods.

As war continues in Ukraine and violence again spreads across the Middle East, the ancient warning sounds newly relevant. Cities burn, dark smoke fills the sky and cluster munitions fall on neighborhoods. In such brutal conflict it is hard to imagine a true victor. The spirit of Greek tragedy, which cautions against hubris and reminds rulers of the limits of human power, feels more urgent than ever.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.