About the work
Aeschylus probably wrote "The Suppliants" around 463 BC as the first part of a tetralogy about the daughters of Danaus, of which only this play survives complete; the remaining parts, The Egyptians, The Daughters of Danaus and the satyr play Amymone, survive only in fragments. Long considered Aeschylus's oldest surviving play, its dating was corrected only after a papyrus find in the 20th century.
Plot
The fifty daughters of Danaus flee Egypt to escape forced marriage to their cousins, the sons of Aegyptus, and seek refuge in Argos. King Pelasgus faces the choice of granting them asylum and risking war with their pursuing Egyptian cousins, or turning them away and incurring the wrath of Zeus as protector of suppliants. The people of Argos ultimately vote to take the women in.
Cultural significance
Unusually for Greek tragedy, the chorus plays a central role here, acting not merely as commentator but as the true bearer of the action. In 2013, Elfriede Jelinek drew on the story for her play "Die Schutzbefohlenen" ("The Supplicants"), addressing European refugee policy.