Daisy Arabella

  Response  Paper  #1     For  my  first  response  paper  I  chose  to  go  see  the  classical  Greek  tragedy  Euripides’  “Helen”,  on       October  1st  at  BYU.  I  chose  this  play  for  my  drama  response  paper  because  I  was  somewhat  familiar       with  the  original  version  of  Helen  of  Troy  and  was  curious  to  see  a  different  version.  Although  it  is       called  a  tragedy,  this  version  had  many  comical  elements.       This  play  starts  out  in  Egypt  with  Helen  explaining  that  she  was  not  the  one  that  Paris  took  to  Troy.       Instead  it  was  a  replica  made  out  of  ether  by  Aphrodite  who,  along  with  Hera,  was  jealous  of  Helens       beauty.  Hermes  took  the  real  Helen  and  gave  her  to  King  Proteus,  who  was  a  virtuous  man.  As  long       as  he  was  alive  she  was  safe,  but  he  died  and  his  son,  Theoclymenus,  decides  he  wants  to  marry       her.  A  shipwrecked  man  named  Teucer  enters  next  and  recognizes  Helen,  but  believes  her  to  be  the       one  that  has  been  doing  horrible  things  back  in  Troy.  She  tells  him  her  story  and  he  believes  her.  He       tells  her  that  her  beloved  husband,  Menalaus,  is  dead.  She  is  so  devastated  that  she  goes  to  see       Theonoe  (the  prophetess  and  sister  of  Theoclymenus)  and  find  out  if  it  is  true.  She  vows  to  kill       herself  if  it  is  proven  to  be  true.       The  next  scene  begins  with  Menalaus.  He  has  been  shipwrecked  and  landed  in  Egypt.  He  goes  to  a       house  begging  for  food  and  the  old  woman  who  lives  there  tells  him  that  although  she  has  nothing       against  Greeks,  he  would  be  killed  if  the  king  saw  him.  At  this  time  she  also  tells  him  that  Helen  of       Troy  is  also  on  the  island.  This  confuses  him,  but  he  decides  that  it  must  be  a  different  Helen.  Just       then  Helen  enters  the  scene  again.  She  has  just  spoken  to  Theonoe  and  is  overjoyed  because  she       has  been  told  that  Menalaus  is  actually  alive.  As  she  enters,  she  and  Menalaus  see  each  other.  He       doesn’t  believe  Helen’s  story  at  first,  until  a  messenger  shows  up  and  tells  him  that  the  Helen  they       left  in  a  cave  nearby  has  disappeared  into  thin  air.  Menalaus  finally  believes  the  story  and  the  two      

embrace.  Helen  begins  to  worry  and  tells  her  husband  that  they  will  be  killed  if  Theoclymenus  finds       out.  Thonoe  already  knows,  so  they  try  to  convince  her  not  to  tell.  She  is  moved  by  the  story  and       grants  them  to  be  together.  She  tells  them  she  will  let  them  go  and,  if  her  brother  asks,  she  will  be       indifferent  and  not  tell  him  what  she  knows.  They  decide  to  pretend  that  Menalaus  really  did  die  at       sea,  knowing  that  Theoclymenus  would  never  recognize  him  dressed  as  he  was.  They  would  claim       that  he  was  a  slave  who  survived  the  shipwreck  and  informed  Helen  of  her  husband’s  death.  Helen       chops  her  hair,  wears  black,  and  scratches  her  cheeks  in  grief  to  make  the  story  more  believable.       She  tells  Theoclymenus  that,  as  a  Greek  custom,  she  needs  a  boat  in  order  to  give  funeral  offerings       to  the  sea.  He  says  he  will  provide  anything  she  needs  for  the  ceremony,  as  long  as  she  would  agree       to  marry  him  when  she  returns.  Helen  agrees  to  this  request  and  Theoclymenus  allows  her  to  go.       He  also  allows  the  slave  (Menalaus)  to  accompany  her,  not  having  a  clue  who  he  really  is.       In  the  last  scene  the  ship  has  set  sail.  A  messenger  comes  running  to  Theoclymenus  exclaiming  that       the  rest  of  Menalaus’  shipwrecked  men  had  posed  as  Egyptians  and  had  taken  over  the  ship,       therefore,  allowing  Helen  and  Menalaus  to  escape.  Hearing  this,  he  realizes  that  his  sister,  Theonoe,       lied  to  him  and  he  wants  to  kill  her.  Suddenly  the  “Sons  of  Zeus”  show  up  and  tell  him  that  his  sister       was  just  performing  the  will  of  Hera.  They  are  able  to  talk  him  out  of  killing  her  by  convincing  him       that  it  was  fate  that  brought  Helen  to  him,  and  it  was  fate  that  took  her  away.  This  is  where  the  play       ends.       When  thinking  about  the  first  of  Goethe’s  three  questions  (What  is  the  artist  trying  to  do?)  I       decided  that  the  artist  in  this  production  was  Kenneth  McLeish  because  he  was  the  one  who       adapted  this  version  from  the  original  play  that  Euripides  wrote,  but  also  the  director,  Barbara       Smith,  because  she  helped  to  create  the  vision.  I  believe  that  they  were  trying  to  do  a  variety  of       things.  First,  I  think  that  they  were  trying  to  tell  the  audience  the  Story  of  “Helen”  in  the  traditional      

Greek  style.  They  did  this  in  a  number  of  ways.  They  used  very  simple  scenery  and  split  it  into  two       parts  to  represent  two  main  locations  while  also  giving  it  the  proper  feeling  of  where  each  scene       was  supposed  to  be  taking  place.  They  also  tried  to  make  the  costumes  look  authentic,  like       something  the  ancient  Greeks  would  have  worn.  Another  thing  the  artists  did  to  make  the       production  in  the  traditional  style  was  to  include  a  chorus  in  the  play.  It  consisted  of  five  women       that  would  periodically  chant  lines  and  make  large  gestures  in  unison  to  add  to  the  story  or  explain       a  situation.  The  second  thing  I  think  the  artists  were  trying  to  do  was  to  provide  us  with  a  stage       production  of  a  different  version  of  a  story  many  of  us  already  know.  They  were  trying  to  show  us  a       different  perspective.  Of  course  the  actual  story  was  written  by  Euripides,  but  it  was  adapted  by       Kenneth  McLeish  and  Barbara  Smith  for  this  particular  production.       The  second  of  Goethe’s  questions  (How  well  does  he/she  do  it?)  is  a  little  bit  easier  for  me  to       answer.  I  think  that  the  artists  did  very  well  at  achieving  what  they  were  trying  to  do.  The  play  had       all  the  elements  of  a  classical  Greek  play  as  described  in  the  text  book.  After  seeing  this  production,       I  read  a  copy  of  the  original  Euripides’  “Helen”  and  I  believe  that  the  artists  did  a  great  job  of       adapting  it  and  still  telling  the  same  story  Euripides  did.  Some  lines  were  only  slightly  changed  as  far       as  I  remember.       The  last  of  Goethe’s  questions  (Was  it  worth  doing?)  kind  of  ties  in  with  his  second  question;  how       well  the  artist  did  what  they  were  trying  to  do.  Personally,  I  believe  that  if  something  is  done  well,       particularly  if  it  makes  the  audience  really  think,  there’s  no  doubt  that  it  was  worth  doing.  I  had       never  seen  a  play  done  in  this  style  before,  so  it  made  the  experience  even  more  interesting  to  me.  I       think  that  it  was  the  same  for  the  others  who  were  in  the  audience,  at  least  that’s  the  impression  I       got  as  I  overheard  people  commenting  on  it  as  I  was  leaving  the  theater.       I  am  glad  I  had  the  chance  to  see  “Helen”.  I  was  surprised  at  how  short  it  was  (about  an  hour),  but  I    

think  that  it  was  very  well  done  nonetheless.  After  seeing  “Helen”,  I  am  interested  in  seeing  other    

plays  that  are  also  performed  in  the  classical  Greek  style.  I  found  it  very  interesting  and  enjoyable.