17/09/18 Trojan Women

Today we were split into groups and received our scripts. I was paired with Anakin doing The Trojan Women. I received the character of Andromache and Anakin, Talthybius. We experimented with intentions behind lines and different emotions to see how it changed the meaning of the script.

The Trojan Women is a play by Euripides. Trojan Women begins with two Greek Gods, Athena and Poseidon, discussing the aftermath of the war between invading Greek armies and the city of Troy. The Gods supported opposite sides, however Athena has turned against the Greeks as the Greek warrior Ajax raped Trojan princess Cassandra in Athena’s temple. As revenge she has called upon Poseidon and Zeus to punish the Greeks on their way home.

The women of Troy have been enslaved, to be split up and sold to different Greek men. Talthybius, a Greek guard informs Hecuba of the death of her daughter Polyxena. Her other daughter Cassandra, who has been cursed with the ability to see the future, has seen that Agamemnon will enslave her. Her enslavement will lead to her death and the deaths of his entire family. As she cannot change this, she willingly leaves for Agamemnon’s ship.

Andromache, Hecuba’s daughter in law, are informed that Greek soldiers killed Polyxena. She tries to comfort Hecuba by telling her it is better to be dead than alive and suffering. Andromache is taken away to her master’s ship but is told by Talthybius that her baby, Astyanax, must be killed as he could grow up to be a potential threat to his Greek captors. Devastated, Andromache gives the baby to Talthybius.

Menelaus, the Spartan king, comes to claim his former wife Helen who eloped with the Trojan prince Paris. This event started the Trojan War. Menelaus plans to bring Helen back to Sparta and kill her as a warning to unfaithful wives. She tries to plead her case as being held against her will but, Hecuba argues against her.

In the final scene Talthybius returns with the body of Astyanax. He allows Hecuba to dress him and perform funeral rites. He gives Hecuba Hectors shield to serve as a coffin for the child. She laments this loss of young life and reflects on the destruction of her city, containing her loved ones. As the Greek ships leave, the Trojan women watch the remaining Greek soldiers set Troy on fire and prepare for their new lives.

1.  Read the whole play to give you a better understanding of the characters and events in motion.
2.  Don’t rush your script, give yourself enough time to fully understand it.
3.   The sooner you learn your script, the sooner you will be able to play off each other. This will add depth to the performance and make it more realistic.
4. Look into other interpretations for inspiration on how to play the character.
5. If you don’t understand anything within the script, look it up. This improves word play and if you don’t understand your performance, neither does your audience.
6. Avoid exclaiming. Start off small, underplaying, then build on emotion to make it more realistic.
7. Listen and react throughout the scene to avoid the rigid feeling of just saying lines at each other. In real conversations you won’t always know the response, therefore during the scene it shouldn’t feel like you’re anticipating the next line. This makes your performance more truthful and less robotic. Acting is merely reacting.