ERACLE of Euripides
THE KNIGHTS of Aristophanes
Summary: EDIPO IN COLONO of Sophocles
Oedipus, blind and blind, in his wandering with his daughter Antigone, arrives at Colono, a suburb near Athens, in obedience to an ancient prophecy saying that his days would end there. The locals, known for their identity, would want to leave him, but the king of Athens, Teseo, gives him hospitality and protection. At this point, Oedipus reveals to Teseo that when the Thebani become enemies of the Athenians, his tomb will preserve the borders of Attica. The other daughter Ismene reaches them, bringing the news of the clash between the brothers Eteocle and Polinice, also children of Oedipus.
According to an oracle, victory would come to that of the brothers who had succeeded in securing their paternal support. Creon, King of Thebes, also comes to convince Oedipus to return home, but, given the latter’s rejection, Creon takes his daughters hostage, but they are saved by Teseo. Polinice then comes, trying to cheer his father’s sympathy, but is driven out of Oedipus. Finally, there are a number of divine prodigies, which make Oedipus understand that his end is near. He is accompanied by Teseo in a sacred grove to the Eumenides, and there disappears by the will of the gods, after having foretold the long prosperity of the king of Athens for his city. Antigone and Ismene would like to see the place where their father is now resting, but Teseo stops them: nobody is allowed to approach that place. The two sisters then prepare to go back to Tebe.
Source: Wikipedia – Edipo in Colono
Summary: ERACLE of Euripides
Heracle, busy in his last effort with Cerberus, is away from home and Lico takes advantage of usurping the throne of Thebes. The Tebani laments are void of the chorus, because the usurper threatens to take away the life of Megara, the wife of Heracles, and his sons, as well as his old father, Anfitrione: the scene takes place around the altar of Zeus where The hero family begs for salvation. When all hope seems to have been lost and the children are already dressed up with funeral parrots, it comes to Heracles who brought Teseo out of hell in the fight against the infernal dog: blinded by anger, kills Lico. But He was, sworn enemy of Heracles, sending Iris, his messenger, and Lissa, the personification of Anger, with a purpose: to make Heracles go crazy to force him to kill their own children. Lissa tries to convince Iris of the injustice she would do to induce the hero to madness, but the will of Era can not be dismissed.
A messenger arrives on stage to tell about the slaughter made by Heracles: believing his children the progeny of Euristeo, who had imposed his labor, kills them without mercy with his wife Megara. Athena arrives in time to save only the Anfitrione, stopping Heracles with a boulder thrown in her chest; later she is bound and, upon her awakening, she finds chained to the columns of her palace, in the midst of amnesia. Anfitrion shows him the corpses of his family and reveals that he himself is the creature of the slaughter: Hercules, in despair, contemplates suicide. To save him from his intent will be Teseo, who came to Tebe after he became aware of Lico’s threats to Megara and his son’s sons: Heracles accepts Teseo’s purification request, convinced that his greatest test will be precisely the Enduring life with the knowledge of the misdeed accomplished.
Source: Wikipedia – ERACLE of Euripides
Summary: THE KNIGHTS of Aristophanes
Two servants of the old people hate a third servant, Paflàgone, as the latter secured the favor of the master with a hypocritical and falsely adulterous behavior, and came to leap at home doing all he wanted. Unexpectedly, an oracle gives relief to the two faithful servants of the old man, revealing that Paflagone will be extorted from a sausage man. Choosing to use a sausage is far from casual: he is an even more immoral, cynical and ignorant person than Paflagone himself, and therefore particularly suited to the purpose. The sausage man (supported by the knight’s chorus) faces the rival in a rush of threats, insults, vanities, and physical assaults. The duel then continues in Ecclesia and finally in front of the boss, Popolo, in a series of verbal confrontations, but also in reading oracular responses and even preparing culinary delicacies, in which the two contenders are becoming increasingly stupid and abject. Sausage, with low-demagoguery, finally succeeds in winning. People, however, at this point claim to not be as stupid as it seems, and that his goal was to wait for the right time to punish the dishonest. So, with a magical rite, the sausage (now a civilized man who is known as Agoracrito) returns to Popolo youth and presents him with a beautiful girl, the Tregua, with which the old now rejuvenated will convolve to wedding and live Full of healthy goals. Paflagone is instead sentenced to carrying out his old rival’s work: the sausage man.
Source: Wikipedia – THE KNIGHTS of Aristophanes
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The photos belong to the season 2017, taken by the excellent Franca Centaro.
