The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood's novel, The Penelopiad, is a captivating classic myth of the life of Penelope and the fate of the twelve maids from Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey; it provides a modern-day perspective on events through the celestial eyes of Penelope as she narrates the tragic demise of her loyal maids, hung for keeping her secrets from those wooing her after fearing that Odyssey was dead. Odyssey, the 24 books of this epic poem, commonly attributed to the Greek bard Homer (with contrasting beliefs that he only wrote two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey), offer a captivating glimpse into a world of heroes and gods of adventure and danger. Atwood, who considered the story of Penelope and her maids during Odysseus's absence as a neglected storyline by scholars, showing the oppressive ancient Greek society was toward women, takes a closer look at the life of Odyssey, but through the eyes of Penelope, who after waiting for two decades, finally shares her tales of love, fear, isolation, and shame. Wonderfully narrated by Jennifer Morrison, who plays the role of Penelope, the all-female cast distinguishedly captured the world of ancient Greece, brings to life the world of ancient Greece in an engaging work where the complexity of privilege, a promise, and the impoverished intermingle in a deadly chorus of lies and deception.
There was amazing singing, dancing, and acting through the two-hour production, including a fifteen-minute admission. However, the first act danced between Greek and modern drama genres, which needs more clarification of its direction. The second act provides a more promising characterization of Atwood's theme of disparity between the oppressive ideals of men, as shown when Odyssey returns. He orders his son to hang the disloyal maids whose faithful voices of devotion to Penelope were discarded, and where Penelope fights against suitors of Odysseus's wife in his absence. He returns to his homeland of Ithaca and kills the men seeking his throne. The play also deals with the lack of power women had (still have) in society to speak against the tyranny and violence brought against them by lustful and deceitful men. Overall, I enjoyed The Penelopiad, but it needed some trimming of scenes, providing more focus on the exceptional scenes between Penelope and her deceptive nature that cost the maids their lives. With today's women still not receiving equal justice in society, I would love to see that storyline lengthen as, one by one; each woman hung recounts the tales of promise and betrayal.
⭐⭐⭐
Recommended
Goodman Theatre
The Penelopiad
By Margaret Atwood
Directed by Susan B. Booth
Choreograph by JoAnn M. Hunter
March 2 - March 31, 2024
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