Aeschylus (c.525-456 BCE) was a soldier and playwright from Athens. As a young man, he fought in the Persian Wars, including at the battles of Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). According to Aristotle, he was the first playwright to introduce multiple speaking characters: before this, the single speaking character was only able to interact with the chorus. As such, he is sometimes called ‘the Father of Tragedy’.