Why does Xerxes return humiliated at the end of Persians?

In the play Persians by Aeschylus, the return of Xerxes as a broken and humiliated figure serves as the culmination of his defeat at the Battle of Salamis.12

His humiliation is presented as a direct consequence of divine justice. The play attributes the Persian defeat to two primary factors: the bravery and independence of the Greeks and the punishment inflicted by the gods for Persian folly. Specifically, Xerxes and his forces are punished for their hubris—their prideful decision to overstep the natural bounds of Asia by invading Greece.123

Aeschylus portrays this downfall as a just retribution within a moral order where the gods, led by Zeus, act to humble those who exhibit excessive ambition or impiety. Consequently, Xerxes’ return signifies the collapse of his imperial aspirations and the realization of the catastrophic consequences resulting from his transgressions against the divine order.31