Metaphor for pain
The beginning of the play presents Atossa, Xerxes's mother in a great state of despair. The woman is sitting near the city's gates and waiting to see her son all while tearing up in silence. Atossa's tears are an important element used here and it is a metaphor used to represent Atossa's pain and her despair and also her longing to see her son.
Metaphor for wisdom
Some of the most important characters in the play are the elders, which are presented as a group. The elders are seen as the wisest characters in the play and they have the authority and the possibility to take important political decisions in the absence of the King. The elders are used in this context as a metaphor to represent collective wiseness and also the insight which comes along with age.
The chorus
The chorus is another important group in the play and while the narrator does not mention how many people are inside the chorus, it is implied the group is an extremely large one. The chorus often has different ideas when compared with the elders and are hard to control. Because of this, we can argue that the chorus is used here as a metaphor to represent normal people.
Lack of a crown
When Xerxes comes back home, his mother notices how her son has no crown and his clothes were turned to rags. Upon seeing the young man, the mother laments her son's state. The lack of crown and the rags Xerxes wears are used here as a metaphor to represent the King's lost power and his humiliation.
The scepter
Darius is Xerxes's late father who appears in the play as a ghost. What is important to note is that the ghost appears in full royal clothes and having a scepter in his hand. The scepter is an important element here and it is used as a metaphor to represent the idea that even in death, the late King had more power and influence as his own son.
