Xerxes the great, the fourth king of Persia, emerged as one of the most intriguing historical figures of his time. After his father, Darius the Great was assassinated, Xerxes was left to finish what his father failed to accomplish and made numerous attempts to avenge his title. These attempts include the multiple expeditions he mounted to Greece which resulted in a series of defeats. Xerxes was left susceptible to the bias and hostile accounts written by Greek writers, which present him as a violent and unstable ruler. Accounts by Herodotus as well as other primary sources remain the only foundations that portray Xerxes in a positive light, balancing out his good and bad points. These features evaluate both his achievements and failures as