Metamorphoses study guide - Abilene Christian University

Dramaturges: Caryn Esch Jace Reinhard Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid)   Little reliable biographical information on Ovid exists, so most of what we know is taken from his own works.   Ovid was born in Sulmo, Italy in 43 BCE.   He was educated in Rome for a political career, and he held a position on the tresuiri, which meant he was either an administrator of the mint or of prisons and executions.   He had two unsuccessful marriages, but he stayed with his third wife the rest of his life. Publius Ovidius Naso   Though he was on a path toward service in the Senate, he abandoned his political career to focus on his poetry.   In 8 CE, Augustus banished Ovid for unknown political or personal reasons.   He was exiled to Tomis, where he wrote series of letters called the Tristia, which is now scholars’ primary souce of biographical information on him. The Metamorphoses of Ovid   In the opening lines, Ovid says he writes of “shapes changed into new bodies” (these are myths of transformation).   This hexametric epic contains fifteen books divided into three sections:   Books I-­‐V: exploits of the gods (Creation, Phaeton)   Books VI-­‐X: adventures of heroes (Erysichthon, Orpheus and Eurydice, Myrrha, Baucis and Philemon)   Books XI-­‐XV: tales about mere men (Midas, Alcyone and Ceyx, Pomona and Vertumnus)   Like Zimmerman, Ovid varies the length and focus of different myths and places stories within stories using internal narrators.   Ovid claims the Metamorphoses was unfinished upon his exile, and that he burned it before leaving Rome. Mary Zimmerman (Playwright)   She was born August 23, 1960.   She received her education at Northwestern University, BS in Theatre, PhD and MA in Performance Studies.   As a child, she read Edith Hamilton's Mythology, and she read Homer’s The Odyssey while she was abroad in England.   She has twice directed for the New York Shakespeare Festival in the Park, and in 2002 won the Tony Award for Best Director for the Broadway production of Metamorphoses. Metamorphoses (history)   Zimmerman’s play premiered in 1996 under the title Six Myths at Northwestern University; it later transferred to Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago.   It opened off-­‐Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in October of 2001.   It was transferred to Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre on February 21, 2002. Metamorphoses (history)   The Broadway production utilized a three-­‐quarter thrust stage, similar to a Greek amphitheater.   It closed on February 16, 2003, running for a total of 400 performances.   It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 2002.   It opened again at the Lookingglass Theatre on September 19, 2012. Ancient Greek Amphitheater at Epidaurus The Myths Differences between the original story and the play Cosmogony (crea.on)   Zimmerman takes almost directly from Ovid’s interpretation of the Greeks’ attempt to explain the origins of the world.   Similar to Christian doctrine, the world was created from chaos, and man was created to rule over the rest of creation. Alcyone and Ceyx   The couple sacrilegiously called each other “Zeus and Hera.”   This angered Zeus, who threw a thunderbolt at his ship.   The “Halcyon days" are the seven days in winter during which storms never occur. Erysichthon   In Ovid’s description, Erysichthon kills the servant who tries to stop him.   The tree is actually a disguised nymph beloved by Ceres.   Erysichthon sells his daughter, Mestra, rather than his mother. Mestra than changes into a series of different animals to escape her captors. Orpheus and Eurydice   Orpheus appeared in much of Greek mythology as a well loved musician, but he is best known for “The Death of Eurydice.”   Ovid says that Eurydice's death was not caused by being bitten by a snake, but rather by dancing with naiads on her wedding day.   The story of Eurydice may actually be a late addition to the Orpheus myths. Orpheus and Euydice (Rilke)   The second Orpheus scene from the play is taken from “Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes” by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-­‐1926), one of Germany’s most influential poets.   In addition to this work, Rilke composed a cycle of 55 sonnets to Orpheus.   The play presents the poem nearly word-­‐for-­‐
word from Stephen Mitchell’s translation. Rainer Maria Rilke Pomona and Vertumnus   This is the only purely Latin tale in Ovid's Metamorphoses.   It explains the dangers of avoiding a suitor with the story of “Anaxarete and Iphis.”   By the end of Ovid’s tale, Pomona marries Vertumnus. Phaeton   Phaeton is the son of Phoebus Apollo, the god of light, and a mortal woman named Clymene.   In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Phaeton’s character is more reverent, but he isn’t given much of a voice.   Jupiter is forced to throw a lightning bolt to stop Phaeton from destroying the world, and he is killed. Eros (Cupid) and Psyche   This is the only myth in Zimmerman’s play that is not a part of The Metamorphoses of Ovid   Instead, it is from Lucius Apuleius' novel Metamorphoses   This is Zimmerman’s favorite myth.   The classic children’s story, Beauty and the Beast is based on this myth. Baucis &Philemon   Zimmerman leaves out where the couple see their neighbors’ land being overtaken by swamp to punish their lack of hospitality.   Baucis and Philemon make two wishes: the first is to let them care for the new temple their home has become, and the second is to die at the same time. Symbolism of Water Greek Mythology   The ever-­‐observant ancient Greeks understood the power of transition water holds. From liquid, to solid, to vapor -­‐ water is the optimal symbol for metamorphosis and philosophical recycling.   From Poseidon, the god of the seas, to Aphrodite’s birth out of the churning ocean, water is a key component of Greek mythology. ChrisHanity   In the Bible, water is a mystically powerful element which, when connected with God, can cleanse sins, inner and outer defilement, and regenerate the human body. It is even possible to assert that water has taken on the religious symbol of life.   Some biblical examples include: The great flood (Noah’s Ark) which cleansed the world, and the importance of baptism in the New Testament. Modern Day Mythology   Goodyear Tire uses a Wingfoot as their logo. This logo alludes to the Greek God Hermes, whose winged feet symbolized speed and good tidings.   Pandora was the name of a Greek woman in mythology. She was granted the gift of music from Apollo and she is also known for her curiosity. An online music project that studies the traits of thousands of songs is called Pandora.   Morphine, a drug used to treat pain, gets its name from Morpheus, the God of sleep. Modern Day Mythology   Midas Automobile Maintenance is a large American corporation, whose jingle sings “Trust the Midas Touch.” In respect to their corporation’s “Midas” name, this alludes to the myth that Midas’ touch turned everything – in this case a customer’s automobile – to gold!   Eros is known as Cupid in Roman terminology. Eros/
Cupid remains a powerful symbol of love today, as evidenced by the titles of dating sites like OKCupid.com and Cupid.com   Apollo is the Greek God of music; The Apollo Theater is a famous music hall in New York City. Discussion QuesHons   What roles do myths play in the modern world?   What symbolism can you draw from the use of water in the play as it relates to Christianity, Greek mythology, and/or the theme of metamorphosis?   What metamorphosis did you see throughout the play among characters, sets, and costumes?   What other themes or symbols can you draw from the play? Consider the final scene. Sources   The Metamorphoses of Ovid, translations by Michael Simpson and Brookes More   Volk, Katharina. Ovid. Sussex: Wiley-­‐Blackwell, 2010.   http://www.stephenmitchellbooks.com/transAdapt/
poetryRilkeExcerpt.html   Encyclopedia Mythica -­‐ http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/
pronunciations.html   http://www.reference.com   http://www.sonnetstoorpheus.com/
rainer_maria_rilke.html Sources   http://gatestoolympus.blogspot.com/2010/07/trust-­‐midas-­‐
touch.html   http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/where-­‐word-­‐
pandora-­‐in-­‐radio   http://www.goodyear.com/corporate/history/
history_origin.html   http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/
PokhiltoWater.php   http://www.whats-­‐your-­‐sign.com/symbolism-­‐of-­‐
water.html   Google Images