[:it]The following text is part of the writing practice for the Cambridge CAE.
The review is freely inspired by the innovative version of the Greek tragedy Agamemnon, which was performed at the Florentine theatre La Pergola from the 26th to the 31st of January 2016.
Two years ago the glorious Florentine theatre La Pergola has hosted a completely renovated version of Agamemnon, the world-known Greek tragedy written by the poet Aeschylus in the 5th century B.C.
The story is well known: the war of the wars is finally over.
Troy has been burnt and destroyed, the betrayal of Helen has been punished, the king is coming home.
But in Argo some ancient wise men – the chorus – are asking themselves how a happy outcome is possible, for Agamemnon has killed his daughter Iphigenia before leaving for Troy.
He chose power instead of love, and he brutally sacrificed his beloved, stunning beautiful daughter in order to leave for Troy with his soldiers.
In fact, his wife Clytemnestra is waiting to kill him in the realm and to punish the old killing with new flowing blood.
The strength of the representation lies in the moral reflections of the chorus, for the plot is skimpy.
The director chose to simplify the stage, which is empty, dusty and simply surrounded by black ink curtains. The lack of chronological references signifies the eternal fight between personal feelings and public duties, and the inevitable proceeding of punishment from guilt.
The performance is extraordinary well interpreted by the actors, especially Cassandra, Apollo’s priestess and Agamemnon’s lover, who sings on the scene her final threnos – a funeral hymn for the dead person she is just about to be – before being brutally murdered by the furious, betrayed wife Clytemnestra.
Elisa Lucchesi
Photo by courtesy of the Press Office Teatro La Pergola, Firenze.
Title track by Iron Maiden, For the greater good of God
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