The Male Memory of Myth: Rewriting History in Greek Girls
Disciplines
Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory | Playwriting | Theatre History
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This project investigates the impact that the hegemonic masculine perspective has on our modern memory of female characters from Greek theater, and how that informed and inspired my work in writing the play Greek Girls. This presentation will focus on the stories of three well-known female murderers from the Greek theatrical canon - Clytemnestra, Medea, and Agave who appear in a scene from Greek Girls titled “The Murderess Monologues”. This research takes place primarily on the narrative level, as it is more concerned with stories than the ancient texts that contain them. However, the plays Agamemnon, Medea, and The Bacchae will be included in my analysis insofar as they are vehicles of memory from Ancient Greek culture to ours. I will also consider sources on the practices of Ancient Greek theater and how they encouraged and supported a hegemonic masculine perspective within the culture. My analysis will consider the ways in which the hegemonic masculine perspective of the culture is expressed through these plays, and how that perspective works to corrupt our modern understanding of these female characters. In support of my assertion that women deserve to be their own storytellers, I will analyze the mythological stories surrounding memory and the act of remembering in Ancient Greece. As a culmination of this research, I will present an excerpt of “The Murderess Monologues” from my play Greek Girls.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
COTA - Theatre and Performance Studies
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Tom Fish
The Male Memory of Myth: Rewriting History in Greek Girls
This project investigates the impact that the hegemonic masculine perspective has on our modern memory of female characters from Greek theater, and how that informed and inspired my work in writing the play Greek Girls. This presentation will focus on the stories of three well-known female murderers from the Greek theatrical canon - Clytemnestra, Medea, and Agave who appear in a scene from Greek Girls titled “The Murderess Monologues”. This research takes place primarily on the narrative level, as it is more concerned with stories than the ancient texts that contain them. However, the plays Agamemnon, Medea, and The Bacchae will be included in my analysis insofar as they are vehicles of memory from Ancient Greek culture to ours. I will also consider sources on the practices of Ancient Greek theater and how they encouraged and supported a hegemonic masculine perspective within the culture. My analysis will consider the ways in which the hegemonic masculine perspective of the culture is expressed through these plays, and how that perspective works to corrupt our modern understanding of these female characters. In support of my assertion that women deserve to be their own storytellers, I will analyze the mythological stories surrounding memory and the act of remembering in Ancient Greece. As a culmination of this research, I will present an excerpt of “The Murderess Monologues” from my play Greek Girls.