Dionysus

old. He was imprisoned and then rescued by King Arthur's men. Because of his imprisonment, Mabon is the God of Freedom. He frees animals and other from their imprisonments who have done no harm doing and sets them free. Other Gods at Mabon include Dionysus, Thor and…

asides from plays and art depictions which are likely exaggerated . For example, in the Bacchae, the Maenads act ecstatically, wearing animal skins, dancing in a frenzy, chanting, and eating raw flesh . Though ecstatic worship is an attribute of Dionysus, the consumption of raw meat is likely false, with male writers regulating these women to be wild without male supervision . The Eleusian Mysteries cult was open to all people, even slaves so long as the people who were to be initiated had no…

Lucy McCormick, of ‘GET IN THE BACK OF THE VAN’ (GITBOTV), influenced my practice through her solo workshop and subsequent conversations because I found her style and attitude towards creative work particularly stimulating and we share an enthusiasm for pushing theatrical boundaries. Her approach demonstrates that, “the question of boundaries and extremes is always in the room” (McCormick, 2014). In our workshop on ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ Lucy got one of my classmates, Laura, to chew…

Roman and Greek Mythology What is mythology? According to Merriam-Webster, mythology is: “The myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). The Roman and Greek religions were a central part of the lives of the Roman and Greek peoples. These two vastly different cultures were unified through their similarities in the religions. Both cultures considered themselves as highly religious and thought being highly religious would…

Narrator: Odysseus has traveled longer than any man should, faced perils the gods have never bore witness to before, and he has lost much; however, he has finally returned home, seeking solace in the warmth and virtue of his wife and queen. The tender spirited, aging maid Eurycleia sprints through the halls, eager to tell Penelope of the stranger who has appeared before them. Eurycleia: Oh fair mistress, lift your head and open your eyes. Penelope: Leave me, I no longer wish to be the object…

religion and religious practice, as an intrinsic part of ancient Greek culture, is the fundamental motive and intention for performance. As a result of such, Greek theatre in the capital, Athens, was performed as a part of a celebration of the god Dionysus – a festival entitled the City Dionysia. At such festival, playwrights (or Greek poietes) would participate in ‘tragic contests’, with each tragedian presenting a tetralogy (three tragedies and one satyr play) each day (Rehm, 1992). Many of…

Greek and Roman societies were polytheistic communities who worshiped multiple gods at the same time. In ancient Greece stories about gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters were an important part of everyday life. These figures helped explain everything from religious rituals to climate change. These figures and beliefs gave meaning of the world to the citizens in the Greek Culture. In part the Roman Culture often emulated the myths and legends that had originated in Greek culture. Through…

The presence of Nymphs in Greek literature and religion is everywhere; from whom people pray to, to the way they impact the stories of authors, and all the way to impacting how people speak like Socrates and Homer. Describing what a nymph is however, is a very difficult process. In Greek literature and religion, the main way of identifying a nymph is the formula “Daughter of Asopos” (Larson 4). Other common ways of identifying these divine beings are if they are the daughter of Zeus or other…

The stage, the most important and definite fact, when it comes to stagecraft and theatre, there is no play without a stage, unless of course you are a mime, The stage has changed over the years, as well as the materials, technologies, and knowledge needed to create fully functioning theatres. Dating back to early Greece, marks the beginning of Theatre as a whole. The city-state of Athens is where western theatre originated.It was part of a broader culture of theatricality and performance in…

Socrates and Phaedrus, the two main characters of Plato’s Phaedrus, ruminate on many things, ostensibly love and erotic love, however the dialogue also discusses rhetoric itself and the ways in which it is and should be practiced, as well as subjects such as metempsychosis. The dialogue in Phaedrus does not allow for other interlocutors to introduce the story, or a retelling of events preceding the scene. This is somewhat unusual as it comes as a first-hand unmediated dialogue, and plays out…