The Penelopiad

Continuing from yesterday's post about Jacob/Israel wrestling with the angel, I love modern re-interpretations of old myths and classic stories which explore ancient issues in light of today's sensibilities and experiences. Far from being disrespectful of the originals, modern re-visioning shows that these myths are still alive and relevant to our times.

One of my favourites in this genre is Margaret Atwood's 2005 novella The Penelopiad. It re-tells the myth of Odysseus from the point of view of Penelope -- faithful wife, abandoned spouse, single mother, a girl and woman surviving in a man's world. I read the book shortly after it was published and highly recommend it. It's a complex re-examination of perspective, guilt and the often difficult nature of causation.

In 2007, Margaret Atwood adapted The Penelopiad for the theatre. It was first staged as a co-production by Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company and Canada's National Arts Centre. This autumn the play was restaged by Calgary's Alberta Theatre Projects. We saw it when we were in Calgary at the end of September and enjoyed it immensely!

The play has an 11-woman cast -- Penelope and her 10 maids. Most of the maids also have dual roles as other characters. All the male roles are played by the maids (Odysseus, Telemachus, the suitors, etc.) -- and the women did a good job of projecting believable male mannerisms and appropriate butchness. Jamie Konchak as Odysseus was especially good.

[Jamie Konchak (in green) as Odysseus and Meg Roe (in blue) as Penelope. Photo by Trudie Lee]

To date, all productions of The Penelopiad have been underwritten by fundraising campaigns among women to help cover the enormous cost of such a large cast. It's money well spent! The Penelopiad brings a much-needed balance to Homer's traditional, testosterone-driven Odyssey.