A script for a skit about Persian wars from Persian p.o.v.

Two old Persian soldiers talking about their time in service to their country.

First: I find it a large shame that after fighting for so long, the Greeks have taken away our control over all the countries we worked so hard to control.

Second: yes it very true. I was looking forward to being able to relax on the Aegean sea without seeing it war torn, but now I cannot for fear that they will know I'm Persian.

First: That is one thing they can all unite with over there, hatred of us Persians. My father was alive when Cyrus the great brought Persia to its peak.

Second: As did mine. During the Civil war we fought side by side for Darius I and proved well.

First: Ah, I remember that war clearly. After Persia fixed herself and we took Khios, Samos, and Lesvos I believed we would have all of Greece. I did not think anything could stop us.

Second: Darius was truly great, he knew exactly how he wanted to take over Greece and the Agean, by taking over what surrounded it. I was there when we tried to capture Naxos, yet failed the Ionian Greeks were clearly outraged. For five years were fought!

First: Oh, comrade but clearly it was worth it since great Persia defeated them. I do not believe, though, that they would have won without the help of Athens by sea. Darius understood that taking over Greece would make Persia the empire it should be.

Second: If it were not for that horrible storm and a number our ships lost, Athens would have been ours, as would have been Greece.

First: True, true. But we defeated Eretria which gave us an easier way to Athens,

Second: Yes, I remember Marathon. The Athenians seemed to be alone at that time. I lost many of my comrades then. The general was a clever one I believe his name was Miltiades.

First: I did not know you fought there. I heard there were about10,000 of the Greek infantry against our great Persian Army, yet we were still defeated.

Second: A terrible defeat indeed. They would have been taught a lesson for Darius had a plan to overthrow them. I did not know the plan for I was a mere infantryman but I know it was great. If Egypt did not steal away Persia's eye from Greece we would still be the Persian Empire.

First: Darius was great but his son Xerxes, not so great. He was too war happy and power hungry.

Second: This is true, but at the same time he brought down Greece better. There were over 200,000 of us infantrymen ready to fight and 700 warships at least to fight Athens by sea.

First: But we did not fight Athens by sea.

Second: Not yet at least, remember the ships helped get us on foot to Greece faster.

First: Oh, Thermopylae. That was a great battle. I actually do wonder why the Greeks would attempt to fight us when there were so many of us and so little of them.

Second: They maybe thought since they did it before that their fancy plans could do it again. Under Xerxes our army was stronger. After defeating them, I cannot begin to describe my anger when we reached Athens. They cowardly Athenians had fled. In our anger we destroyed the city.

First: We should have been smarter than we were when going to Salamis, probably taking more small ships. As I watched the Persian ships get rammed over and over again, my heart sunk.

Second: As did mine after that it was all downhill.

citation: Sage, Michael. "Persian Wars." Microsoft Student 2009 (DVD). Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008