Metamorphoses Study Guide for Chatham High School’s Fall Play Performances Friday & Saturday November 18 & 19 at 7:30

Midas was a very selish and greedy king! One day the God Bacchus told Mary Zimmerman’s play, “Metamorphoses”, is a Midas: him that he would grant modernized version of Ovid’s, “The Metamorphoses.” In Midas any one wish. the Chatham High School production, twenty­seven Midas chose to have actors play more than thirty­ive different characters everything he touched turn to gold. He when they act out eight of Ovid’s stories. regretted his wish because he nearly starved to death since his food and drink also turned to gold. He even turned his own daughter to gold! Then he begged Bacchus to take the gift back.

King Ceyx, son of the morning star, was married to Meet The Gods Alycyone A l c y o n e , t h e daughter of the God Chief God, God of Lightning & Ceyz: of Winds. One day Zeus: Ceyx told his wife that he had to go on God of Wine a long sea voyage. Alcyone begged him not to go Bacchus: because she feared he would never return. Unfortunately, Ceyx went on the journey and was drowned in the stormy winds at God of the Seas Poseidon: sea. When he died he begged the Gods to, “Wash my body over the sea to my wife.” The Gods sent Iris, the Rainbow Goddess, to ermes: Messenger of the Gods Alycone to give her a dream about Ceyx’s H death. When Alcyone woke she went to the sea and found her husband loating on the waves. God of the Underworld The Gods took pity on her, so when she rushed Hades: into the waves and touched Ceyx’s lips they both became birds and were together again. Persephone: Goddess of Spring, and married to Hades King Erysichthon once cut down Erysichthon trees in a grove God of music sacred to Apollo: Demeter, the Goddess of the harvest. Demeter punished him by placing hunger that could never be satisied Rainbow Goddess in his stomach. Erysichthon sold everything Iris: including his own mother to buy food, but he was still hungry. Eventually Erysichthon ate Aphrodite: Goddess of Beauty himself in hunger!

Demeter: Goddess of Harvest and mother of Persephone. On their wedding danger involved, but Phaeton wouldn’t budge. day Orpheus and All went well in the beginning but irst the Eurydice chariot raced too high in the sky and angered Orpheus & were very happy the constellations, then Phaeton went too low until suddenly and the whole world caught on ire. Finally, an Eurydice: Eurydice stepped angry Zeus threw a thunderbolt at Phaeton to on a venomous stop him. snake. The snake bit her and she died and went to the Psyche was so underworld. Orpheus was so sad that he beautiful that followed her there. He sang a Aphrodite, the beautiful song and begged for Eros & Goddess of beauty, was her to return. Finally Hades, the jealous of her and she King of the Underworld, said Psyche: asked her son, Eros, to Eurydice could leave on one punish Psyche. condition: as Eurydice followed But when Eros Orpheus out, he must never look went to Psyche he accidentally pierced back at her until they reached himself with his own arrow and fell in the sunlight. In a moment of love with her. Aphrodite was furious so forgetfulness Orpheus looked she decreed Psyche’s would marry a back at his wife. He heard her monster on a mountain. Psyche was whisper farewell and then she slipped back into brought to a beautiful palace with the underworld forever. invisible servants. She never saw her husband and did not know that it was actually Eros. One night her curiosity The story of won out and she held a candle over Eros Pomona & while he slept to see if he was a monster. The Vertumnus is a dripping wax woke Eros and he lew away and Pomona & classic love story. the house vanished with him. To win Pomona was a Aphrodite’s favor Psyche accomplished four Vertumnus: beautiful nymph, impossible tasks that she completed with the she had many help of the Gods. In the end she was allowed to admirers but she marry Eros and became immortal. loved her garden and orchard above all else. Vertumnus was her greatest admirer. He Hermes and disguised himself and watched Zeus came her every day. One day he down from disguised himself as an old Baucis & Mount woman and went to see her. He Olympus kissed her and told her that he Philemon: disguised as would love her and her garden poor beggars forever. He took off his disguise to test the and Pomona fell in love with warmth and hospitality of mortals. No one him. Now her orchard has two would give them food or shelter. But when they gardeners. came to Baucis and Philemon, a poor, old married couple, the two welcomed the gods and gave them a feast. The Gods revealed who Phaeton was the son of they really were and rewarded them for their Apollo, the Sun God. One kindness with a wish. Baucis and Phaeton: day Phaeton asked Apollo Philemon asked that they be allowed to grant him a wish. to die at the same moment so they Phaeton’s wish was to never needed to be alone. Zeus and drive his father’s sun Hermes granted their wish and chariot. Apollo begged instead of dying, they turned into an him to change his wish Oak and Linden tree that grew from because he knew the one trunk.

Written by: Emily Lamb Designed by: Taylor Rea