Trace the origin of Greek tragedy with special reference to Aeschylus NU Aeschylus BCE BCE is called the Father of Tragedy Greek tragedy grew from religious festivals of Dionysus With Aeschylus tragedy became serious art He shaped themes structure and characters His plays still influence literature Religious Origin Greek tragedy began in Dionysian festivals People sang hymns called dithyrambs These were songs for the god of wine and fertility From such songs drama slowly appeared The Chorus was the first form of performance Later dialogue and action developed Aeschylus s Contribution Aeschylus changed the form of tragedy He introduced a second actor This allowed dialogue not only choral song He reduced the Chorus role and gave importance to speech This made the plays more dramatic His work gave tragedy a new shape Theme of Justice Aeschylus often wrote about divine justice He believed crimes bring punishment The Chorus in Agamemnon