A collection of essays by many distinguished
contributors, focused on the portrayal of rebel women in
ancient Greek drama Ancient Greek drama provides the
modern stage with a host of powerful female characters
who stand in opposition to the patriarchal structures
that seek to limit and define them. For contemporary
theatre directors their representation serves as a
vehicle for examining and illuminating issues of gender,
power, family and morality, as germane today as when the
plays were first written. Rebel Women brings together
essays by leading writers from across different
disciplines examining the representation of ancient
Greek heroines in their original contexts and on today's
stage. Divided into three sections, it considers in turn
international productions, Irish versions, and studies
of the original texts. The articles explore how such
characters as Iphigenia, Medea, Antigone and
Clytemnestra have been portrayed in recent times and the
challenges and provocation they offer to both
contemporary audiences and dramatists alike.'Seamus
Heaney and Athol Fugard are brought together as
contributors by the inspiration that ancient Greek
tragedy has offered to them both. There are offerings
here on Iphigenia, Medea, Antigone, Clytemnestra, film,
drama, Greece, Russia ...and especially Ireland. Amidst
all this variety, the level of interest and of
scholarship are consistently high.' Oliver Taplin,
Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, Oxford
University
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