Based on Eumenides by Aeschylus
 Translated by Peter Meineck

Hell Hath No Fury

From one of the earliest playwrights comes the mythical story of a trial of the king's son for murdering his mother.  The ECU/Loessin Playhouse presents The Furies, April 25-30 in the McGinnis Theatre on the ECU campus.  

The playwright Aeschylus was a contemporary of Sophocles in Athens in the late 500s and early 400s BC.  The Furies is the third part of his trilogy.  In the first book, Agamemnon, the King of Argos kills his daughter, Iphigeneia.  In the second, the mother, Clytemnestra kills her husband, Agamemnon.  In this third part of the trilogy, their son, Orestes, kills his mother in a fit of revenge for his father's death.  Aeschylus' point how murder begets murder is well demonstrated.

 
W.-A. Bouguereau. The Remorse of Orestes, 1862.

The Furies attack Orestes for his part in this worst of all crimes.  The Furies are Hell's own avengers-primal, rapacious, and insatiable.  They considered themselves to be the guardians of society; they were known to protect the weak and punish the criminal.  

But the goddess Athena steps in and says that the Furies will not decide this case. Instead, it will be tried in a court of law, and the people of Athens will be the jury.  The god Apollo speaks to defend Orestes, and the Furies speak against him.  The jury deadlocks and Athena casts the deciding vote. 

Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $12.50, $10 youth/student, and may be purchased by going online at www.ECUARTS.com or by calling 252-328-6829.   

The ECU/Loessin Playhouse is produced by the School of Theatre and Dance (an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre), College of Fine Arts and Communication, East Carolina University.