Bacchae Pdf, Epub, Ebook

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Bacchae Pdf, Epub, Ebook BACCHAE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Euripides | 64 pages | 21 Aug 1997 | Dover Publications Inc. | 9780486295800 | English | New York, United States Bacchae PDF Book Once in the woods, Pentheus cannot see the bacchants from the ground, and wants to mount a tree for a better vantage. I will suffer him easily, even if he comes boasting greatly. At the moment of her death, however, Zeus saved the unborn Dionysus , hiding it from Hera by sewing the foetus up in his own thigh until it was ready to be born. May I go where accursed Kithairon may not see me, nor I see Kithairon with my eyes, nor where a memorial of a Bacchic thyrsos has been dedicated; let these concern other Bacchae. Tell me, father, so that I can punish the one who does you wrong. She had an affair with Zeus, the king of the gods, and became pregnant. I carry the trophy of these noble feats [ aristeia ] in my arms, as you see, so that it may hang from your house. He is disguised as a charismatic young Asian holy man and…. The god accompanies us, now at truce with us, though formerly not propitious. Euripides had an enduring fascination with woman and their social position, and pointed out in this play and in several others how implicit and entrenched the oppression of women was in Greek civilization. Alas, alas! Hidden categories: Webarchive template wayback links Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Articles containing Ancient Greek to - language text All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from January Articles needing additional references from January All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January Commons category link is on Wikidata Commons category link is locally defined Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference. In the realm of the supernatural is the category of nymphs who nurse and care for the young Dionysus, and continue in his worship as he comes of age. But if you remain time and again in the state you are in now, though hardly fortunate you will not imagine that you have encountered disaster. I will hunt from the mountains all that are missing, Ino and Agave, who bore me to Ekhion, and Autonoe, the mother of Aktaion. He reports that he found women on the mountain behaving strangely: wandering the forest, suckling animals, twining snakes in their hair, and performing miraculous feats. You alone enter the struggle for this polis , you alone. When villagers attempted to fight back, the women drove them off using only their ceremonial staffs of fennel. What is this? Agaue returns home with Pentheus's head in her hands. The plain flows with milk, it flows with wine, it flows with the nectar of bees. Pentheus, though you hear my words you obey not at all. But believe me, Pentheus. Dionysus, the god of wine, prophecy, religious ecstasy, and fertility, returns to his birthplace in Thebes in order to clear his mother's name and to punish the insolent city state for refusing to allow people to worship him. Dionysus tells the audience that when he arrived in Thebes he drove Semele's sisters mad, and they fled to Mt. Archived from the original on 26 July They strike rocks with the thyrsus, and water gushes forth. Women, the man is caught in our net. These women were supposed to be descendants of the women who sacrificed their son in the name of Dionysios. According to Opian, Dionysus delighted, as a child, in tearing kids into pieces and bringing them back to life again. At the play's start, Dionysus' exposition highlights the play's central conflict: the invasion of Greece by an Asian religion. He will recognize the son of Zeus, Dionysus, who was born in full a god, the most terrible and yet most mild to men. O wretched man, how little you know what you are saying! Bacchae Writer You have a fluent tongue as though you are sensible, but there is no sense in your words. Complicating matters, his cousin, the young king Pentheus , has declared a ban on the worship of Dionysus throughout Thebes. But when they jumped out of hiding to grab her, the Bacchae became frenzied and pursued the men. For the fantasy film, see The Bacchantes film. Many are the forms of things of the daimones , and the gods bring many things to pass unexpectedly. Themes Motifs Symbols Key Facts. But this hair has come out of place, not the way I arranged it under your miter. I shall move my white foot in the night-long khoroi , aroused to a frenzy, tossing my exposed throat to the dewy air, like a fawn sporting in the green pleasures of the meadow, when it has escaped the terrifying hunt beyond the cordon of beaters over the well-woven nets, and the hunter hastens his dogs on their course with his call, while she, with great exertion and a storm-swift running, leaps through the plain by the bank of the river, rejoicing in her isolation from men and in the branches of the shadowy woods. Alas, alas! He did not turn pale or change the wine-bright complexion of his cheek, but laughed and allowed us to bind him and lead him away. But Agaue, driven mad by Dionysus, proceeds to rip her son to death. In his drama Bacchae , Euripides c. There is no other cure for pains [ ponoi ]. The term maenad has come to be associated with a wide variety of women, supernatural, mythological, and historical, [9] associated with the god Dionysus and his worship. Receive the god into your land, pour libations to him, celebrate the Bacchic rites, and garland your head. You urged these things, Teiresias. The Bacchae is considered to be not only one of Euripides's greatest tragedies, but also one of the greatest ever written, modern or ancient. History at your fingertips. The women of Amphissa formed a protective ring around them and when they awoke arranged for them to return home unmolested. His ribs were stripped bare by their tearings. Suddenly an earthquake shakes the palace, a fire starts, and Pentheus is left weak and puzzled. And the vivid gruesomeness of the punishment of Pentheus suggests that he could also understand those who were troubled by the religion. I think I see two suns, and two images of Thebes, the seven-gated polis. They chase Leo and Piper into Bunker 9 and are subsequently captured in a golden net. Also, fragments of reliefs of female worshipers of Dionysus have been discovered at Corinth. Now you see what it is right for you to see. Indeed, no play seems to have been more popular in the ancient theatre, or to have been more frequently quoted and imitated. Dionysus finally appears in his true form , and sends Agave and her sisters into exile, the family now all but destroyed. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Mercurian. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Important Quotations Explained. Honey trickles down from the thyrsus made of the wood of the ivy, they gird themselves with snakes and give suck to fawns and wolf cubs as if they were infants at the breast. You who are eager to see and do what you ought not, I mean you, Pentheus, come forth before the house, show yourself to me, wearing the clothing of a woman, of an inspired Bacchant, a spy upon your mother and her company. First Known Use of Bacchae , in the meaning defined at sense 1. Where is my son Pentheus? The Bacchantes Dionysus in '69 The Bacchae Servants keep as many of them as I have caught in the public buildings with their hands chained. Bacchae Reviews House once fortunate in Hellas, house of the Sidonian old man who once sowed in the ground the earth-born harvest of the serpent Ophis, how I groan for you, though I am but a slave. Make sure your voice is heard. What is wisdom [ sophon ]? Call from the house Cadmus, son of Agenor, who left the polis of Sidon and fortified this city of the Thebans with towers. He managed, however, to rescue his unborn son Dionysus and stitched the baby into his thigh. Time Traveler for Bacchae The first known use of Bacchae was in See more words from the same year. In combination with a large python protecting the Oracle's Cave, the maenads presence is to protect Mount Parnassus see " Man from Mundania ". But believe me, Pentheus. The Euripidean gods, in short, cannot…. But when they jumped out of hiding to grab her, the Bacchae became frenzied and pursued the men. The background to his return is presented in the prologue, in which Dionysus tells the story of his mother, Semele, once a princess in the royal Theban house of Cadmus. Honey trickles down from the thyrsus made of the wood of the ivy, they gird themselves with snakes and give suck to fawns and wolf cubs as if they were infants at the breast. The god Hermes is said to have carried the young Dionysus to the nymphs of Nysa. He will recognize the son of Zeus, Dionysus, who was born in full a god, the most terrible and yet most mild to men. As the play ends, the corpse of Pentheus is reassembled as well as is possible, the royal family devastated and destroyed. You have certainly now become a bull. Where is my son Pentheus? In Bacchae the god Dionysus arrives in Greece from Asia intending to introduce his orgiastic worship there.
Recommended publications
  • The Hellenic Saga Gaia (Earth)
    The Hellenic Saga Gaia (Earth) Uranus (Heaven) Oceanus = Tethys Iapetus (Titan) = Clymene Themis Atlas Menoetius Prometheus Epimetheus = Pandora Prometheus • “Prometheus made humans out of earth and water, and he also gave them fire…” (Apollodorus Library 1.7.1) • … “and scatter-brained Epimetheus from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread; for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman, the maiden whom he had formed” (Hesiod Theogony ca. 509) Prometheus and Zeus • Zeus concealed the secret of life • Trick of the meat and fat • Zeus concealed fire • Prometheus stole it and gave it to man • Freidrich H. Fuger, 1751 - 1818 • Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora • Zeus chained Prometheus to a mountain • The accounts here are many and confused Maxfield Parish Prometheus 1919 Prometheus Chained Dirck van Baburen 1594 - 1624 Prometheus Nicolas-Sébastien Adam 1705 - 1778 Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus • Novel by Mary Shelly • First published in 1818. • The first true Science Fiction novel • Victor Frankenstein is Prometheus • As with the story of Prometheus, the novel asks about cause and effect, and about responsibility. • Is man accountable for his creations? • Is God? • Are there moral, ethical constraints on man’s creative urges? Mary Shelly • “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world” (Introduction to the 1831 edition) Did I request thee, from my clay To mould me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me? John Milton, Paradise Lost 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Ornithological Approaches to Greek Mythology: the Case of the Shearwater
    Ornithological Approaches to Greek Mythology: The Case of the Shearwater In the Odyssey 5.333-337, Ino-Leucothea rescues Odysseus from a terrifying storm while in the shape of an αἴθυια (aithyia) and gives him a magic veil so he can reach the land of the Phaeacians. But what bird is an aithyia, and, perhaps more importantly, can this information help us understand this passage of the Odyssey and other ancient texts where the bird appears? Many attempts at identifying Ino-Leucothea’s bird shape have been made. Lambin (2006) suggests that the name of byne that is occasionally (e.g. Lyc. Al. 757-761) applied to the goddess highlights her kourotrophic functions. In a more pragmatic way, Thompson (1895) suggests that the aithyia is a large gull such as Larus marinus. This identification is based on Aristotle (H.A. 7.542b) and Pliny (10.32) who report that the bird breeds in rocks by the sea in early spring. However, in a response to Thompson’s identification of a different bird, the ἐρωδιός (erôdios) as a heron, Fowler stresses that this bird nests in burrows by the sea (Pliny 10.126-127) and therefore must be Scopoli’s shearwater, Puffinus kuhli, now renamed Calonectris diomedea. The similarities between the aithyia and the erôdios prompted Thompson not only to reconsider his identification of the erôdios as a shearwater but also to argue that other bird names such as aithyia, memnôn, and mergus must also correspond to the shearwater. Thompson (1918) comes to this conclusion by taking a closer look at the mythological information concerning these birds.
    [Show full text]
  • Theban Walls in Homeric Epic Corinne Ondine Pache Trinity University, [email protected]
    Trinity University Digital Commons @ Trinity Classical Studies Faculty Research Classical Studies Department 10-2014 Theban Walls in Homeric Epic Corinne Ondine Pache Trinity University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/class_faculty Part of the Classics Commons Repository Citation Pache, C. (2014). Theban walls in Homeric epic. Trends in Classics, 6(2), 278-296. doi:10.1515/tc-2014-0015 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Classical Studies Department at Digital Commons @ Trinity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Classical Studies Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Trinity. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TC 2014; 6(2): 278–296 Corinne Pache Theban Walls in Homeric Epic DOI 10.1515/tc-2014-0015 Throughout the Iliad, the Greeks at Troy often refer to the wars at Thebes in their speeches, and several important warriors fighting on the Greek side at Troy also fought at Thebes and are related to Theban heroes who besieged the Boeotian city a generation earlier. The Theban wars thus stand in the shadow of the story of war at Troy, another city surrounded by walls supposed to be impregnable. In the Odyssey, the Theban connections are less central, but nevertheless significant as one of our few sources concerning the building of the Theban walls. In this essay, I analyze Theban traces in Homeric epic as they relate to city walls. Since nothing explicitly concerning walls remains in the extant fragments of the Theban Cycle, we must look to Homeric poetry for formulaic and thematic elements that can be connected with Theban epic.
    [Show full text]
  • The Thebaid Europa, Cadmus and the Birth of Dionysus
    The Thebaid Europa, Cadmus and the birth of Dionysus Caesar van Everdingen. Rape of Europa. 1650 Zeus = Io Memphis = Epaphus Poseidon = Libya Lysianassa Belus Agenor = Telephassa In the Danaid, we followed the descendants of Belus. The Thebaid follows the descendants of Agenor Agenor = Telephassa Cadmus Phoenix Cylix Thasus Phineus Europa • Agenor migrated to the Levant and founded Sidon • But see Josephus, Jewish Antiquities i.130 - 139 • “… for Syria borders on Egypt, and the Phoenicians, to whom Sidon belongs, dwell in Syria.” (Hdt. ii.116.6) The Levant Levant • Jericho (9000 BC) • Damascus (8000) • Biblos (7000) • Sidon (4000) Biblos Damascus Sidon Tyre Jericho Levant • Canaanites: • Aramaeans • Language, not race. • Moved to the Levant ca. 1400-1200 BC • Phoenician = • purple dye people Biblos Damascus Sidon Tyre Agenor = Telephassa Cadmus Phoenix Cylix Thasus Phineus Europa • Zeus appeared to Europa as a bull and carried her to Crete. • Agenor sent his sons in search of Europa • Don’t come home without her! • The Rape of Europa • Maren de Vos • 1590 Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (Spain) Image courtesy of wikimedia • Rape of Europa • Caesar van Everdingen • 1650 • Image courtesy of wikimedia • Europe Group • Albert Memorial • London, 1872. • A memorial for Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Crete Europa = Zeus Minos Sarpedon Rhadamanthus • Asterius, king of Crete, married Europa • Minos became king of Crete • Sarpedon king of Lycia • Rhadamanthus king of Boeotia The Brothers of Europa • Phoenix • Remained in Phoenicia • Cylix • Founded
    [Show full text]
  • Thebaid 2: Oedipus Descendants of Cadmus
    Thebaid 2: Oedipus Descendants of Cadmus Cadmus = Harmonia Aristaeus = Autonoe Ino Semele Agave = Echion Pentheus Actaeon Polydorus (?) Autonoe = Aristaeus Actaeon Polydorus (?) • Aristaeus • Son of Apollo and Cyrene • Actaeon • While hunting he saw Artemis bathing • Artemis set his own hounds on him • Polydorus • Either brother or son of Autonoe • King of Cadmeia after Pentheus • Jean-Baptiste-Camile Corot ca. 1850 Giuseppe Cesari, ca. 1600 House of Cadmus Hyrieus Cadmus = Harmonia Dirce = Lycus Nycteus Autonoe = Aristaeus Zeus = Antiope Nycteis = Polydorus Zethus Amphion Labdacus Laius Tragedy of Antiope • Polydorus: • king of Thebes after Pentheus • m. Nycteis, sister of Antiope • Polydorus died before Labdacus was of age. • Labdacus • Child king after Polydorus • Regency of Nycteus, Lycus Thebes • Laius • Child king as well… second regency of Lycus • Zethus and Amphion • Sons of Antiope by Zeus • Jealousy of Dirce • Antiope imprisoned • Zethus and Amphion raised by shepherds Zethus and Amphion • Returned to Thebes: • Killed Lycus • Tied Dirce to a wild bull • Fortified the city • Renamed it Thebes • Zethus and his family died of illness Death of Dirce • The Farnese Bull • 2nd cent. BC • Asinius Pollio, owner • 1546: • Baths of Caracalla • Cardinal Farnese • Pope Paul III Farnese Bull Amphion • Taught the lyre by Hermes • First to establish an altar to Hermes • Married Niobe, daughter of Tantalus • They had six sons and six daughters • Boasted she was better than Leto • Apollo and Artemis slew every child • Amphion died of a broken heart Niobe Jacques Louis David, 1775 Cadmus = Harmonia Aristeus =Autonoe Ino Semele Agave = Echion Nycteis = Polydorus Pentheus Labdacus Menoecius Laius = Iocaste Creon Oedipus Laius • Laius and Iocaste • Childless, asked Delphi for advice: • “Lord of Thebes famous for horses, do not sow a furrow of children against the will of the gods; for if you beget a son, that child will kill you, [20] and all your house shall wade through blood.” (Euripides Phoenissae) • Accidentally, they had a son anyway.
    [Show full text]
  • Zeus in the Greek Mysteries) and Was Thought of As the Personification of Cyclic Law, the Causal Power of Expansion, and the Angel of Miracles
    Ζεύς The Angel of Cycles and Solutions will help us get back on track. In the old schools this angel was known as Jupiter (Zeus in the Greek Mysteries) and was thought of as the personification of cyclic law, the Causal Power of expansion, and the angel of miracles. Price, John Randolph (2010-11-24). Angels Within Us: A Spiritual Guide to the Twenty-Two Angels That Govern Our Everyday Lives (p. 151). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Zeus 1 Zeus For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). Zeus God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice [1] The Jupiter de Smyrne, discovered in Smyrna in 1680 Abode Mount Olympus Symbol Thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak Consort Hera and various others Parents Cronus and Rhea Siblings Hestia, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter Children Aeacus, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Dardanus, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces [2] Roman equivalent Jupiter Zeus (Ancient Greek: Ζεύς, Zeús; Modern Greek: Δίας, Días; English pronunciation /ˈzjuːs/[3] or /ˈzuːs/) is the "Father of Gods and men" (πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, patḕr andrōn te theōn te)[4] who rules the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father rules the family according to the ancient Greek religion. He is the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. Zeus is etymologically cognate with and, under Hellenic influence, became particularly closely identified with Roman Jupiter. Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he is married to Hera, although, at the oracle of Dodona, his consort is Dione: according to the Iliad, he is the father of Aphrodite by Dione.[5] He is known for his erotic escapades.
    [Show full text]
  • Presents Semele
    Presents __________________________________________________________________________ Semele By George Frideric Handel A RESOURCE PACK TO SUPPORT THE 2020 PRODUCTION The intention of this resource pack is to prepare students coming to see or taking part in tours or workshops focused on Semele Handel’s Semele Compiled by Callum Blackmore What is Opera? Opera is a type of theatre which combines drama, music, elements of dance or movement with exciting costumes and innovative set design. However, in opera, the actors are trained singers who sing their lines instead of speaking them. A librettist writes the libretto - the words that are to be sung, like a script. Often, the plots of the operas are taken from stories in books or plays. A composer writes the music for the singers and orchestra. An orchestra accompanies the singers. A conductor coordinates both the singers on stage and the musicians. An easy way to think of opera is a story told with music. In a lot of operas, the people on stage sing all the way through. Imagine having all your conversations by singing them! Opera Singers It takes a lot of training to become an opera singer. A lot of aspiring opera singers will take this route: Sing in choirs, volunteer for solos, take singing lessons, study singing and music at university, then audition for parts in operas. Opera singers hardly ever use a microphone, which means that they train their voices to be heard by audiences even over the top of orchestras. Singing opera can be very physical and tiring because of the effort that goes into making this very special sound.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bacchae of Euripides
    The Bacchae of Euripides By Wole Soyinka Directed by Prof. Judyie Al-Bilali Dramaturgy by Prof. Megan Lewis STUDY GUIDE Contact: Prof Megan Lewis [email protected] DIRECTOR’S NOTE Dionysus and his magnificent initiates, the Bacchantes, have come back for me. I met them twenty years ago when I directed this same adaptation by distinguished Nigerian Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka. I embraced his vision as it foregrounds the social and political transformations inherent to the ancient drama, and now two decades later, Soyinka’s script rings even more true as we face unprecedented environmental, ecological, and spiritual challenges. A play is relevant after 2,400 years because it illuminates primal forces, notable among them, sexuality. Dionysus, called by many names including ‘The Liberator’ has often symbolized gender fluidity. In the rigid caste system of ancient Greece, his devotees included slaves, women, and foreigners -- allowing those usually excluded to participate in the annual Dionysian festivals. Our play is set in 2020, just across the threshold into the upcoming decade, at the pivot point of a new era in human history. Our location is Gaia, the mythological Greek name recognizing our beloved and beleaguered planet Earth as a sentient, living goddess. Right now, Gaia demands our attention. She calls us beyond ideology to unity, a call we must heed for our survival as a species. Myth is how we navigate and ultimately evolve both individual and collective psyches. Myth must change for us to grow. Artists are the antennae for society and we are re-imagining Euripides’ myth of Dionysus to address our need for balance between reason and passion.
    [Show full text]
  • Constellation Legends
    Constellation Legends by Norm McCarter Naturalist and Astronomy Intern SCICON Andromeda – The Chained Lady Cassiopeia, Andromeda’s mother, boasted that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than the gods. Poseidon, the brother of Zeus and the god of the seas, took great offense at this statement, for he had created the most beautiful beings ever in the form of his sea nymphs. In his anger, he created a great sea monster, Cetus (pictured as a whale) to ravage the seas and sea coast. Since Cassiopeia would not recant her claim of beauty, it was decreed that she must sacrifice her only daughter, the beautiful Andromeda, to this sea monster. So Andromeda was chained to a large rock projecting out into the sea and was left there to await the arrival of the great sea monster Cetus. As Cetus approached Andromeda, Perseus arrived (some say on the winged sandals given to him by Hermes). He had just killed the gorgon Medusa and was carrying her severed head in a special bag. When Perseus saw the beautiful maiden in distress, like a true champion he went to her aid. Facing the terrible sea monster, he drew the head of Medusa from the bag and held it so that the sea monster would see it. Immediately, the sea monster turned to stone. Perseus then freed the beautiful Andromeda and, claiming her as his bride, took her home with him as his queen to rule. Aquarius – The Water Bearer The name most often associated with the constellation Aquarius is that of Ganymede, son of Tros, King of Troy.
    [Show full text]
  • Homer and Oral Tradition: the Formula, Part II1
    Oral Tradition, 3/1-2 (1988): 11-60 Homer and Oral Tradition: The Formula, Part II1 Mark W. Edwards §6. Studies of specifi c formulae This section deals with the usage and adaptation of individual formulae, and with the availability of formulae for particular concepts. It does not cover studies of the meaning of obscure words, or how much signifi cance a formulaic expression might retain in conventional usage (see §7), or the location of formulae within the verse (see §3). The discussion is arranged in four parts: name-epithet formulae; epithets; common-nouns and epithets; verbs. 1. Name-epithet formulae The fundamental work was Milman Parry’s fi rst monograph, published in 1928 (M. Parry 1971). Parry listed the commonest proper name and epithet formulae after the mid-verse caesura (10-13) and after the caesura in the fourth foot (15-16), and gave tables showing the formulae of different lengths for eleven major gods and heroes in the nominative case (39) and the genitive case (57). He also listed the proper name and epithet formulae for heroines (97f.), for the Greek race (101), for other peoples (99ff.), and for countries (106-9). Page 1959 lists formulae for Priam (241-42), Hector (248-51), Patroclus (286), Helen (287), Alexander/Paris (290f.), Aeneas (291), the Achaeans (242-48), the Trojans (251f.) and Ilium/Troy (292-94). Bowra 1960 examines the epithets for Troy and other cities to determine if the meanings are appropriate, his work including a listing of the formulae by metrical shape. He does not use the material to determine how far the formulaic system is complete, or list the metrical variants which preserve or violate economy.
    [Show full text]
  • Dramatic Themes in John Eccles's 1707 Setting of William Congreve's Semele
    Dramatic Themes in John Eccles's 1707 Setting of William Congreve's Semele Robert T. Kelley 2003 Introduction Anthony Rooley (2002) has asserted that \Eccles awaits the searching light of unbiased study and, particularly, informed performance." In this talk, I attempt to engage in such a study of Eccles's Semele. This opera is rich with interpretive possibilities and subtext, and I will present an analysis of the music that supports a view of the opera as a dramatically unified whole. This supports Rooley's musicological contention that \Here Congreve and the composer John Eccles worked very closely together, as they had for over a decade, and must have discussed at endless length their combined approach to creating this piece of music theatre." In an analysis that highlights the relationship between Congreve's text and Eccles's music, I will discuss musical connections that can help listeners uncover this opera's dramatic fusion of text and music. The first manner in which the music supports the drama is in the Baroque figures that accompany certain themes or dramatic situations in the opera. The second way that the music supports the text and stage action is through the work's key scheme. According to the Baroque doctrine of affections, different keys are associated with different passions. The qualities of the keys, which are highlighted by the 1 tuning of the Baroque keyboard instruments accompanying the ensemble, serve to highlight character development throughout the opera. This study reveals subtle dramatic subtext that is enhanced by the musical setting of the text and that suggests interpretive possibilities in the staging and musical performance.
    [Show full text]
  • Marianne Mcdonald
    Arion_22-3Cover_Cvr 3/5/15 12:59 PM Page 1 winter 2015 Inside this Issue: Four poems by Lawrence Dugan Jonathan Rosand remembers his father, David Rosand A Journal of Humanities and the Classics Peter Green translates Book 24 of the Iliad A Journal of Humanities and the Classics “Penelope,” a poem by David Gomes Cásseres The future of Classics: Colin Wells explores Havelock’s alphabetic thesis and its implications Tom Keeline Latinizes three poems from A. E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad George Seferis and Yiannis Ritsos on Helen of Troy, by James Nikopoulos Two poems by George Kalogeris “Frogspawn: A Play For Radio”: J. Michael Walton updates Aristophanes’ Frogs The life and work of a Uranian connoisseur: Thomas K. Hubbard on Edward Perry Warren Erika Fischer-Lichte’s Dionysus Resurrected: THIRD SERIES Performances of Euripides’ The Bacchae in a Globalizing World, reviewed by Marianne McDonald Justine McConnell reviews Jeff James’ play Stink Foot , VOL . XXII , NO . 3, WINTER 2015 B OSTON U NIVERSITY $12.50 Dionysus as Global Rorschach MARIANNE MCDONALD A good read.* In this interesting study, Erika Fischer-Lichte claims that Dionysus “has been resurrected as the god of globalization,” primarily “because he is the god of theatre” (229). She claims that her book is “intended for a broad readership,” surely important in a globalized world propelled by a certain capitalistic drive that, coupled with isolated fanaticism, threatens to abolish or limit education to “profitable” subjects, most of which do not include studying the classics—and certainly not those written in ancient dead languages. She addresses the issues of globalization from three main standpoints, as summarized in her Epilogue: 1.
    [Show full text]