Mardonius’ Failures as A Commander and Artemisia’s Successes: Visual & Performing Arts Essay

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Mardonius’ Failures as A Commander and Artemisia’s Successes
After his father Darius dies at the battle of marathon, Xerxes becomes King of Persia. Xerxes wants now more than ever his people to revere him. Therefore, he declares himself a god and king of kings. In the spirit of his father and grandfathers before him, Xerxes seeks conquest to prove his might. In particular, he wants an invasion of Greece to avenge the death of his father. So, Xerxes commands the largest fleet ever seen and the assembly of an even larger army (Hamel 212). When the time comes, Xerxes begins his march for the second invasion of Greece. During the reign of King Darius, Mardonius is an Achaemenid general (Hamel 184). In his initial conquests, Mardonius attacks Eritrea and Athens after succeeding a satrap governor in Ionia. Unlike his predecessors, Mardonius promotes democracy and abolishes tyrannical rule in Ionia. Though unorthodox, his methods help to eliminate unrest in the region. After his successes in Ionia, he invades Thrace and Macedonia. However, at Mt. Athos, his fleet is wrecked, and he eventually fails in the invasion. As a result, he is stripped of his command and only emerges later when Xerxes is planning his Greek invasion. Artemisia is of Greek origin. She leaves her home country after her parents and family are killed in a civil war. In Persia, she excels as a warrior and tactful commander. Eventually, she becomes the wife to a king of the Anatolian region of Caria. After her husband's death, she becomes the queen of Caria and regent to her son (Hamel 252). Before becoming a close advisor of Xerxes, Artemisia serves under King Darius and distinguishes herself as a formidable warrior. When Xerxes comes to power, Artemisia becomes a close advisor and a commander in Xerxes' fleet.
Mardonius plays an active role in the second invasion of Greece. He is a zealous advocate of the invasion. After Xerxes' victories at the Artemisium and at the battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes returns to Sardis. Mardonius is left to take charge of the Persian army (Hamel 261). Mardonius has to feed his army. So, he goes to Athens, where in exchange for feeding his army, he promises that the city will be offered a position in the Achaemenid empire. However, the Athenians refuse Mardonius' offer. When Spring comes, Mardonius marches his army again to Athens. However, for the second time, the Athenians refuse his offer. As a result, Mardonius commands an assault on the city. It seems that Mardonius will easily take the city. But, an ultimatum from the Athenians to Sparta forces the latter to join the war. In fear of Greece's total conquest, Sparta urges other Greek cities to join in at the battle of Plataea. It is here that Mardonius fails terribly. At first, he manages to delay an attack from the Greeks for a period of time (Hamel 271). According to Herodotus, Mardonius sends Alexander, King of Macedonia, to notify the Athenians that the Persians will attack the following morning (Hamel 277). This tactic works well for Mardonius since he does not have enough supplies for his army. However, at his own camp, he remains anxious as he does not know when the Greeks will attack. Eventually, they do, and it is Mardonius who los...