Abstract
This chapter investigates a few paradigmatic instances and points to others within Aeschylus's relentlessly complex tragic compositions. Some background concerning Greek polytheism is necessary for modern readers to unpack the web of cultural associations and relevant myths concerning these superhuman figures. The chapter briefly introduces religious ideas and practices that shaped individual and civic life. It then touches on some influential earlier examples of literary approaches to the divine world. It then turns to human characters who themselves cross the threshold into the supernatural, as ancestor figures, ghosts and undead heroes. The chapter covers divinities, moving from the chorus of ancient demons, the Erinyes, to ever more powerful Olympians. It shows how supernatural speculations and interventions significantly reshape the mythic world constructed within their play, and beyond. The chapter also focuses on Aeschylean techniques for upsetting his audiences' conceptions.
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