This thesis presents a study on the rewriting of Greek myth in contemporary theatre and, in particular, analyzes the rewriting of the Oresteia in different countries. The Aeschylus’ trilogy is concerned with the transition from a violent society to a democratic one. Nevertheless, the resulting democracy is not a fair one because it is based on impunity: Orestes is absolved. Within the European cultural history, the Oresteia represents an important theatrical model as well as an interesting topic to re-interpret the relationship between tragedy, politics and ritual. Re-writing the myth entails deconstructing the stereotypes and working through the western canon, which involves a normative connotation. In the first part of my dissertation, I examine three clusters: the myth of the Oresteia; the topics of “intertextuality” and “rewriting” from a literary and theatrical perspective; the description of the different trends in contemporary theatre (postmodern and post-dramatic movements and the connections with intercultural, postcolonial and gender studies). In the second part of the dissertation, I examine four rewritings of the Oresteia: Orestea. Una Commedia Organica? by Romeo Castellucci and the Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio (Italy, 1995); Orestea ex machina by Mapa Teatro 1995 (Colombia, 1995); Agamenón. Volví del supermercado y le di una paliza a mis hijos by Rodrigo García and the Carnicería teatro (Spain, 2003); Molora by Yael Farber and the Farber Foundry (South Africa, 2003). The main purpose is to approach the “rewriting” of Greek myth in contemporary theatre from an interdisciplinary and theoretical perspective as well as to analyze the connections between the historical and political contexts and the texts. On the one hand, the thesis analyzes the relationship between theatrical strategies and specific historic-cultural contexts. On the other hand, the purpose is to reconstruct the aesthetics of the performances and the different models of reappropriation of the Greek myth. In my thesis, I consider theatre as a cultural tool which contributes to the survival of Greek culture intertwining political and ritual aspects. In this respect, the “re-writing” is like a huge laboratory, where it is possible to explore the borders between classic and contemporary representations of us/the others.
Indagaciones sobre la reescritura del mito griego en el teatro contemporáneo. las orestíadas de la socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, mapa teatro, Rodrigo García y Yael Farber
Palmeri , D. (Author). 14 Nov 2013
Student thesis: Doctoral thesis
Student thesis: Doctoral thesis