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Home , Bistonis, Pandion (hero), Pandion (mythology), Procne, Tereus, Zeuxippe

The Love of the Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker

Audition Date: Wednesday, September 11th, 6:45pm

To Prepare: 1) Read the Play 2) Read this packet 3) Prepare a one-minute monologue accordingly.

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This Packet. This audition packet is meant to provide actors with some preliminary information about the play as they prepare for their audition. It is intended as a supplement to reading Timberlake Wetenbaker’s script in its entirety, not a replacement. In other words: Read the play in its entirety. An attachment for the full script PDF is in the same email that contained this packet.

Make sure to read through the different character breakdowns and give careful consideration as to what sort of monologue might showcase your ability to embody one of them. Do you relate to the early playfulness of Philomele? Her later defiance? Do you respond to the Niobe’s jaded resignation that there is terrible injustice in the world? What sort of monologue might communicate ’s entitlement? What of ’s feelings of isolation when she goes to live in a foreign environment with an unfamiliar husband? Perhaps you enjoy the poetic commentary of the chorus. There are many ways to go, but consider the tone of the play and the emotional requirements of the characters.

The Plot and its Sources. Let’s not mince words, Philomele is a horrifying myth; so horrifying that we need to ask ourselves why we would continue to tell it thousands of year since presented a play based on it at the festival Dionsyia in the 5th century B.C.E. Like many Greek tragedies, the story of Philomele, Tereus, Procne, and Itys is a cautionary one. Only fragments of Sophocles’s play survive, but the story would later be popularized in Book VI (400-674) of Ovid’s Metamorphosis after Rome supplanted Greece as the preliminary power in the ancient Mediterranean world. Ovid’s version follows two princesses of , Procne and Philomele. Their father, King , allies with King Tereus of in order to help Athens in a military conflict. King Pandion marries his older daughter, Procne, to Tereus to reward him for his valor in battle. Lonely and isolated in an unfamiliar land, Procne sends Tereus to retrieve her beloved younger sister who has promised to always come to her when called. Tereus is consumed with an all-consuming 2 passion upon seeing Philomele in Athens. On the journey back to Thrace he watches her like prey. Once they make land Tereus locks her away in a secluded tower. There, Tereus brutally assaults Philomele and cuts out her tongue when she threatens to expose him as a kidnapper and rapist. Tereus returns to Thrace and tells Procne that Philomele has died. Years pass and Philomele spends her time in captivity weaving a tapestry that depicts the terrible ways in which Tereus has violated her. She manages to have the tapestry secretly sent to her sister. Procne immediately recognizes it as Philomele’s work and understands its meaning. In Ovid’s version, Procne liberates her sister and the two kill Procne and Tereus’s son Itys as retribution for his father’s crimes. When Tereus discovers what his wife and her sister have done, he pursues them, but they are turned into birds; Procne a swallow, Philomele a nightingale, and Tereus a .

(The Rape of by Tereus, Engraved by Virgil Solis, 1562 translation of the )

Wertenbaker’s play largely follows Ovid’s, but instead of a tapestry, Philomele creates life-sized dolls in order to act out Theseus’s crimes against her. Wertenbaker also borrows the mechanism of the chorus to bear witness and provide commentary as this excessively violent story 3 progresses towards its predetermined conclusion. Wertenbaker’s largest departure from the Metamorphosis lies in the fact that Procne and Philomele are not merely accessories in a story about a powerful man who brings about his own downfall. The relationship between sisters is centralized and their distinct personalities are developed prior to Tereus’s arrival into their lives. The ancient Greeks used tragedy to play out their worst nightmares and while they often feature complex female characters, one has to remember that these were plays written by men, for men, and performed exclusively by men in a highly patriarchal society. Wertenbaker makes her focus more equitable. This is not to say that the story is any more palatable.

(490, Attic wine cup, Procne and Philomela prepare to kill Ithys)

4 Much like Medea, Nightingale is a revenge tragedy. In this genre a violent crime is committed that cannot be appropriately redressed because the perpetrator occupies a position of power. For instance, in Shakespeare’s later revenge tragedy, Hamlet cannot accuse Claudius of murder without evidence because Claudius is now the king. The disenfranchised victim takes justice into their own hands and often becomes a monster in the process. Their revenge is excessive in that it harms not just the guilty party, but innocents suffer as collateral damage. In this case Itys is horrifically murdered by his mother and aunt.

(Tereus confronted with the head of Son Ithys, Oil, Paul Rubens 1636-1638)

In short, the audience experiences shock and horror as the original victim becomes the victimizer. Aristotle states that most Greek tragedies center around some kind of “,” an argument or a thesis. Ancient Plays like Medea, Antigone, and early modern ones like Hamlet and collectively make a statement about violence begetting violence; about the dangers of robbing someone of their humanity so completely that they respond in an inhuman way. The cautionary thesis of many revenge plays seems to be the same: when you rip away someone’s

5 agency, when you violate them and rob them of their voice, terrible things happen. The plays in no way celebrate the revenge trajectory, rather they caution against lawless, vigilante justice and the that the abuse of power incites.

(The Rape of Philomela by Tereus Engraving, Johann Wilhelm Baur, 1703 edition of the Metamorphoses)

Character Breakdown:

Philomele: Philomele begins the play as a young and naïve princess of Athens. She is the energetically positive and somewhat irreverent younger sister to the more reserved Procne. While Procne is cautious and well respected, Philomele says what is on her mind without always thinking of the consequences. She is incredibly excited about all of that waits for her as she embarks on her adult life, especially love and sex. She is also infallibly loyal. Philomele promises her older sister that she will come to her whenever she is called and makes no hesitation to undertake a treacherous sea voyage to an unfamiliar land when her brother-in-law, Tereus comes to fetch her at Procne’s behest. Philomele is idealistic, and as a princess of Athens, a little bit entitled. She trusts that things will turn out right for her and that people will do what is right. This 6 makes her tragedy all the more devastating. She suffers a horrible fate, but she does not cower when faced with her attacker even when it results in further assault and violence. Philomele refuses to be a victim. Even when her tongue is removed and she is hidden away, she finds a way to speak her truth. She ultimately acts as her own avenger in a ruthless and violent way.

Procne. Philomele states at one point that the Athenians admired Procne because of her dignity. At the onset of the play, Procne appears far more measured and cautious than her younger sister. She often reaches towards logic rather than emotion to solve her problems. She is the serious sister. While her younger sister cannot wait to experience sex and marriage, Procne seems to regard it as a duty; a necessary evil. Once in Thrace, she performs her role as a wife to Tereus in a perfunctory way, but she feels utterly isolated. She fails to assimilate and cannot find common ground with her women attendants. In perhaps a selfish act, she sends for her sister. Like Philomele, Procne strongly belongs in right and wrong and has little tolerance for ambiguity and deceit.

Tereus: Tereus is the King of Thrace. He is a soldier, general, and absolute ruler. His men obey him without question and is used to getting what he wants whether it be through strategy and stealth or outright physical strength. He considers himself a good guy and is proficient at coming up with reasons that defend his choices. In some mythological variants, Tereus is son of the war god and a named Bistonis, which may explain (but not justify) his proclivity to violence. (There is a difference between Ares- more associated with berserker rage in combat and - more associated with military strategy in the Greek pantheon).

Niobe: Niobe functions as Philomele’s chaperone once she embarks on her journey to Thrace. She is described as an old woman and is often the source of ridicule and entertainment amongst the sailors. She has seen much in the world, most or it tragic. We later learn that she too has been the victim of horrific violence. She had many sisters before her village was destroyed, its men killed and its women enslaved. When she seems

7 somewhat unsympathetic to Philomele later, one must also consider that she is likely a slave to the Athenian royal family, a victim of imperialism and violence in her own right. This has left her oddly resigned to what she would classify as the ways of the world; the strong will take what they want from the weak and it is better not too fight back lest you further provoke your attacker. She can seem oddly cold and matter of fact. The name “Niobe” references a mythological character who boasted to , the mother of and about having fourteen children. In retribution for her hubris, Artemis and Apollo killed all of Niobe’s children. Niobe fled and turned to stone, but her statue weeps incessantly.

The Captain: The captain is honest and unassuming. He is a man of few words but great integrity. He has a job to do and he is wary of overstepping his professional role. He resists Philomele’s advances in the interest of his duty and lower rank, but he is not unaffected by her. Much like “the Queen,” the captain is one of the only major figures who remains nameless.

Itys: The only son of Tereus and Procne. The play states that five years pass before Procne sends for Philomele, and then another five years pass after Tereus tells Procne that her sister has died. Therefore, when we see Itys, he is roughly intended to be about ten years old. He admires all things considered “masculine.” He is drawn towards weapons and fighting. When his mother states that he would have liked his aunt Philomele, he responds that he has strong uncles. It cannot be overstated though, that he is still a child and is largely innocent. He is merely parroting the social conventions of the world around him, toxic though they may be.

Chorus: The rest of the roles pull from the male and female chorus. They make up the actors in the Hippolytus play, Procne’s ladies in waiting, Bacchants, Sailors, and Soldiers. They are largely present on stage to witness and comment on the action. They speak directly to the audience. Their role is also highly physical; the Greek Chorus did not just stand

8 still and orate. Rather, they danced and performed acrobatics to aid in the telling of the story. We will be incorporating a great deal of physicality as well. Much like the character of Niobe, the names of the female chorus reference other Greek myths. Many of them have tragic trajectories. This is not to say that they ARE these characters, but Wertenbaker is referencing them for a reason. See below for the plot of Hippolytus.

Female Chorus:

Hero/Phaedra (in Hippolytus play): Hero was a priestess of who dwealt in a remote tower in Sestos. A young man named Leander from Abydos fell in love with her and swam to her tower every night. Hero would light a lamp every night to guide his way. He eventually convinced her to sleep with him on the grounds that Aphrodite was the goddess of love and sex. Soon after Leander drowns at sea and Hero leaps to her death upon seeing his body.

Iris/Aphrodite (in Hippolytus play): According to Hesiod’s Theogony, was the goddess of the rainbow and a messenger of the Olympian gods. She is often described as the personal messenger of . Iris’s father was a marine god, and Elektra, an Oceanid . As a goddess associated with both the sea and the sky, she is said to link the gods to humanity.

June/The Queen: June may be in reference to “Juno,” the Roman version of Hera. Although Hera gets portrayed negatively as the nag, who vicariously punishes other women for being the objects of her husband ’s desire, her earlier role is far more sympathetic: she is the goddess of marriage, family, and childbirth. In Roman mythology Juno was the protector and special counselor of the state. Like, the captain, The Queen is never named. Despite this, she shows herself to be astute, intelligent, and an excellent judge of character. She sees through Tereus’s diplomatic double speak, and observes that he wants their daughter Procne in return for his military aid before he states his intention. She is wary of sending

9 Philomele away with Tereus as well. In , Pandion wife and the mother of Procne and Philpmele was a nymph named Zeuxippe. The name means, “she who yokes horses.”

Helen/Nurse (in Hippolytus Play): Helen is most commonly known as the catalyst for the in ’s The Illiad. She was the daughter of Zeus by Leda (who Zeus ravaged in the form of a swan) and half-sister to Clytemnestra. Helen was wife to Menelaus, king of Sparta. She was abducted by Paris, a Prince of , after Aphrodite promised Helen to him for judging her the winner in a beauty pageant between herself, Hera, and Athena. This beauty pageant, known as the “Judgement of Paris” is regarded as one of the precipitating events of the Trojan War. After Paris is killed, Helen is reunited with Menelaus. The various accounts of Helen are contradictory as to whether she went with Paris willingly or whether she was abducted.

Echo/Servant (in Hippolytus Play): was a Mountain nymph who resided on Mount Cithaeron. According to Ovid, Echo, who was commanded to protect Zeus, would distract his jealous wife with lengthy conversations while Zeus was pursuing his many extramarital affairs. Upon realizing this tactic, Hera cursed Echo by making her only able to repeat the last thing said to her. Echo eventually fell in love with Narcissus, but unable to communicate with him, he rejected her and was forced to watch as he fell in love with his own reflection. In another version Echo was a mortal raised amongst and taught music by the . was attracted to Echo, but she rejected him. He became jealous of her musical talents and angry that she would not yield her virginity, so he drove the men of the fields mad, causing them to rip Echo apart, scattering the still singing fragments of her body across the earth. The earth goddess , hid the remnants of Echo’s body with herself (the earth).

Male Chorus King Pandion: Pandion appears to be caught between his role as a statesman, charged with maintaining the peace, and that of a father 10 reluctant to part with his daughters and thrust them into precarious situations. He is cultured and measured. He states that plays help him to think. According to the Bibliotecha (a three-book compendium of Greek myths and heroic legends dated from somewhere between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D.), King Pandion I of Athens fought a war with King Labdacus of Thebes over boundaries. He married his daughter to Tereus of Thrace in exchange for his help in the fighting. King Pandion is said to have died of grief when he discovered that his daughters had died.

1st Soldier: At times, the first and second soldiers act as personifications of toxic masculinity.

2nd Soldier/Theseus (in Hippolytus Play): See 1st Soldier.

Hippolytus (in Hippolytus Play): Generally remembered as a tragic figure who is punished by the goddess Aphrodite for his youthful arrogance in failing to acknowledge and revere her as a goddess. By extension, he shuns all the Aphrodite represents— sexual desire and reproduction. His rant against women in Euripides’s play is very famous. He is the son of the amazon Hippolyta and the Greek hero Theseus. Despite his hubris, he is still shown to be somewhat sympathetic in that he forgives his father and reconciles with him just before his death. After his death, the goddess Artemis transforms him into a constellation in the heavens. She also vows to destroy one of Aphrodite’s favorites as recompense. ______

Plot of Hippolytus. Phaedra was a princess of and second wife of the hero Theseus. She was the daughter of King and Pasiphae, sister to , and half-sister to the Minotaur. Hippolytus is the son of Theseus and his first wife, the Amazon Hippolyta. In Euripides’ play Hippolytus scorns the goddess Aphrodite because he wishes to exclusively worship Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt. Aphrodite responds by making Hippolytus’s step mother, Phaedra, become sick with desire for him. Phaedra resists but confides in a nurse who tells Hippolytus despite being sworn to secrecy. Hippolytus goes on a famous misogynistic rant about how

11 much he hates women and how disgusting Phaedra is. Mortified, Phaedra kills herself, but leaves a suicide note claiming that Hippolytus raped her. Theseus returns, reads the note, and banishes Hippolytus. He also calls in a favor from the god Poseiden to curse his son. Hippolytus is mortally wounded as a result, but he manages to reconcile with his father before he dies.

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