The two productions were done very differently from each other, but you could see that the plays came from the same Ancient Greek tradition. It’s quite unlike any other theatre you see. It’s certainly very different from the Shakespeares and the more modern plays that you usually get at the Globe.
However, I thought The Oresteia (which I saw on 26th September 2015) suited the Globe quite well. I liked the way the cast walked through the yard, and how the chorus merged with the crowd at some points.
Like the Bakkhai, The Oresteia is intense, gory, and morally perplexing. Perhaps in Ancient Greece it was obvious whose side to be on and what view to take of the characters and their actions – but, if so, it’s certainly not so clear today.
Most of all, the impression I was left with was that The Oresteia is a play that hates women. We may have been encouraged to laugh, in this production, at some of the outdated notions on display – parading a giant gold phallus at the end of the play doesn’t allow anyone to take the conclusion seriously – but it remains an uncomfortable story in terms of gender relations and hierarchy.
Even when Clytemnestra kills her husband, another man comes along and claims the credit for it! (I never thought I’d feel so indignant on a savage murderer’s behalf).
I feel like this would have been a good piece to study at A level. To really dig down into its problems and contradictions; to analyse the way they used the space, the visuals, and the sound; to work out how the meaning or meanings were pieced together.
But as it is, it was an interesting, enjoyably perplexing afternoon at the theatre. I may not be a student any more, but I can still appreciate feeling perplexed occasionally.
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