Aeschylus in his piece The Suppliants of 470 BC writes a tragic narrative regarding fifty maidens of Egyptian King Danaus who escaped from Africa to Greece. Their father accompanied them in the escape as they run to avoid marrying their fifty cousins, which would have been committing incest in the eyes of God. In the ancient Greek city-states asylum was granted to only those who took refuge in a temple or sacred place and called upon the gods for protection. The Suppliants therefore, had to be officially accepted as asylum seekers and be protected under the divine safety net by the city’s officials (Fraenkel, 1974).
The Suppliants in today’s world reflects the refugee crisis and how countries respond to asylum seekers when in grave distress caused by either conflict, war or …show more content…
The plot of the tragedy depicts the reception of a ship and its symbolic value as a national imagery. The ship relates to today’s vessels used by the asylum seekers to cross the sea. Similarity with the current conditions can be seen in the case that asylum seekers are coming through the Aegean Sea. Greece today serves as an entry point to asylum seekers entering Europe. In the ancient days, it was also an entry point for those fleeing oppression from the other side of the Mediterranean. The point of origin is the Middle East same as the ancient days while the host country named Argos-Greece by then is now Greece and Europe. Further to this, both cases focus on desperate people seeking for protection. Greece, which is the most southeasterly corner of the EU, operates like a gateway to a humanitarian disaster in both the imaginary and reality. In recent times, it has witnessed the arrival of vessels full of asylum seekers who have risked their lives on the short and hazardous journey for “safe havens”. It is obvious that today’s asylum seekers are in the same position as their ancestors (Fraenkel,
The Suppliants in today’s world reflects the refugee crisis and how countries respond to asylum seekers when in grave distress caused by either conflict, war or …show more content…
The plot of the tragedy depicts the reception of a ship and its symbolic value as a national imagery. The ship relates to today’s vessels used by the asylum seekers to cross the sea. Similarity with the current conditions can be seen in the case that asylum seekers are coming through the Aegean Sea. Greece today serves as an entry point to asylum seekers entering Europe. In the ancient days, it was also an entry point for those fleeing oppression from the other side of the Mediterranean. The point of origin is the Middle East same as the ancient days while the host country named Argos-Greece by then is now Greece and Europe. Further to this, both cases focus on desperate people seeking for protection. Greece, which is the most southeasterly corner of the EU, operates like a gateway to a humanitarian disaster in both the imaginary and reality. In recent times, it has witnessed the arrival of vessels full of asylum seekers who have risked their lives on the short and hazardous journey for “safe havens”. It is obvious that today’s asylum seekers are in the same position as their ancestors (Fraenkel,