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Missing Medea Missing Medea by William Bernard Dow M.A. (Liberal Studies), Simon Fraser University, 2008 B.A., Athabasca University, 2003 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy under Special Arrangements with Dean of Graduate Studies Department of Humanities Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © William Bernard Dow SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2013 Approval Name: William Bernard Dow Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: Missing Medea Examining Committee: Chair: Dean of Graduate Studies or designate David Mirhady Senior Supervisor Professor Don Kugler Supervisor Professor School of Contemporary Arts Paul Budra Supervisor Associate Professor Department of English Anne-Marie Feenberg-Dibon Supervisor Associate Professor Anthony Podlecki Internal Examiner Professor Emeritus Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies University of British Columbia Geoff Proehl External Examiner Professor Theatre Arts Department University of Puget Sound Date Defended/Approved: August 19, 2013 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii Abstract The focus of this project is to (re)create a trilogy of plays that bring the unfamiliar and largely forgotten stories of the tragic heroine Medea of Greek mythology to the modern stage. In each case the selection of narrative detail and decisions regarding presentational style are part of the ongoing task of re-visualizing antiquity. The first play, Cupid’s Arrow, focuses on the beginning of Medea’s doomed and tragic love for Jason as it was engineered by the goddess of marriage Hera and it draws from fragments of Sophocles’ play, the Colchides (Women of Colchis). The second, The Daughters of Pelias, is recreated from fragments and the supposed narrative of a play (Peliades now lost) that was in Euripides’ first ever production at the City Dionysia in 455 B.C. The story centers on Medea’s deception of Pelias’ daughters, who end up slaughtering their father when hoping to prolong his life. The third play of the trilogy, After Medea, which takes place after the horrific ending of Euripides' surviving Medea, rotates its triangle somewhat. Instead of a young Corinthian princess upsetting the balance of Jason and Medea's union by distracting Jason's affections, it is a young Theseus whose arrival creates turbulence for Medea and her rescuer and new husband Aegeus. This play follows the presumed plot of two non-surviving “Aegeus” tragedies, one by Sophocles and one by Euripides. The dissertation attempts, in part, to redeem the character of Medea for modern audiences by placing before them, in dramatic form, some missing parts of her story. It thus follows a path similar to that of Margaret Atwood’s recent novel and play, The Penelopiad, which similarly reinterprets otherwise unfamiliar mythological evidence for the wife of Homer’s Odysseus. Such projects map out a methodology for such revisualization of classical mythology that does not limit itself to the surviving epics and tragedies. Appendices to the dissertation include a reworking of Euripides’ Trojan Women (produced at SFU in Spring 2012), which represents another method for making ancient tragedy more accessible to modern audiences and performers, and an essay on Homer’s Achilles that draws parallels between him and Medea. Keywords: Medea; Pelias; Alcestis; Greek tragedy and adaptations iv Acknowledgements A great debt of thanks is owed to all those who supported and inspired the creation and completion of this work. Throughout the process, I received the generous input of many actors and colleagues. In particular, After Medea received the assistance of the 2012 Banff Playwrights Colony—a partnership between the Canada Council for the Arts, The Banff Centre and Alberta Theatre Projects. Special thanks to Rachel Ditor. Others who made significant contributions to the work, either direct or indirect, include Jennifer Clement, Sarah Orenstein, and Lois Anderson—when one is trying to uncover the character of a heroically strong woman, such examples are a gift. This project would not have been possible without the support of the Humanities Department and the School for Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. The students who worked with me on The Women of Troy were courageous and flexible, dedicated and bright—a daily inspiration. Similarly, the excitement and delight of the students in my mythology courses, gave me a belief in the relevance of these ancient stories. Special thanks to J.C. for eleventh hour technical and moral support. Thanks without parameters go to, M., S., L., W., and A. Finally, thanks to the members of my committee who gave generously of their time and expertise and in conversations, usually accompanied by some inspirational beverage, had a profound effect on the final product. In particular, the tireless insights of DD Kugler; his experience and artistry have made a major contribution, I owe him a great debt of thanks. And David Mirhady, the source and centre, companion and leader, spur and solace—for all, my thanks. v Table of Contents Approval...........................................................................................................................................ii Partial Copyright Licence ................................................................................................................ iii Abstract...........................................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................v Table of Contents............................................................................................................................vi List of Abbreviations....................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1. Introduction ........................................................................................1 Chapter 2. Lost in Antiquity: Part 1 ......................................................................4 Chapter 3. Lost in Antiquity: Part 2 ....................................................................12 Chapter 4. The Daughters of Pelias...................................................................20 Chapter 5. Lost in Antiquity: Part 3 ....................................................................56 Chapter 6. After Medea......................................................................................70 Characters..................................................................................................................................... 71 Scene 1 (Saturday) ....................................................................................................................... 71 Scene 2 (Sunday) ......................................................................................................................... 74 Scene 3 (Tuesday)........................................................................................................................ 76 Scene 4 (Wednesday)................................................................................................................... 89 Scene 5 (Thursday)....................................................................................................................... 89 Scene 6 (Friday)............................................................................................................................ 91 Scene 7 (Saturday) ....................................................................................................................... 97 Scene 8 (Sunday) ....................................................................................................................... 102 Scene 9 (Tuesday)...................................................................................................................... 107 Scene 10 (Wednesday)............................................................................................................... 110 Scene 11 (Thursday)................................................................................................................... 113 Scene 12 (Friday)........................................................................................................................ 115 Scene 13 (Saturday: Closing Night)............................................................................................ 117 Chapter 7. Lost in Antiquity: Part 4 ..................................................................122 Medea: Bride of Achilles ............................................................................................................. 122 Chapter 8. Conclusion .....................................................................................130 References.........................................................................................................133 Appendices ........................................................................................................137 Appendix A. Achilles’ Choice .................................................................................................. 138 Appendix B. The Women of Troy............................................................................................ 147 The Women of Troy: A version after Euripides ........................................................................... 150 Cast..................................................................................................................................
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