The dichotomy of eternal strife : when the Furies met the Eumenides : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

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Authors
Upton, Victoria
Advisor
Magrath, William T.
Issue Date
2002
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (B.A.)
Department
Honors College
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The Dichotomy of Eternal Strife: When the Furies Met the EumenidesWhen we started this project we had no idea that it would be so apropos to the events that have currently been reshaping the lives of every American. This thesis began one dark and stormy night over Chinese food and Starbucks ice cream. Originally we wanted to develop a thesis that would incorporate our diverse interests and use a method of presentation that differed from the usual honors paper. The struggle between good and evil had always interested us, as it is a major theme in Greco-Roman myth and the literature of the Humanities Sequence. This motif proved to be of such magnitude that we were able to utilize the multifarious dimensions of our academic lives. The idea of a play and accompanying dance quickly evolved into a multimedia presentation of the battle between good and evil.Our exploration of human nature immediately raised the question of whether the human race, both as individuals and within society, is internally driven by good or by evil forces. Rather than attempting to answer the essentially unanswerable, the goal of the thesis became the evocation of this question in our audience. We decided that a play would be the most direct and entertaining method of accomplishing our objective.In order to utilize the themes of good and evil in mythology, the play was set on Mt. Olympus and some of the more prominent figures in mythology became our characters. Because we did not want to propose an answer to the question at hand, we decided that the players should simply discuss the opposing aspects of humanity. Based on their roles in mythology, we chose deities, who would give a balanced presentation of both sides of the issue. Thus Medusa, Ares and Hades took the stance that humans were innately evil and Aphrodite, Apollo and Artemis gave evidence of the good that exists within humanity. Hera maintained her historical role as the Devil's Advocate. Zeus, also maintaining his historical role, remained neutral and presided over the discussion. Having posed the question of whether or not humanity should be destroyed, Zeus listened to arguments for both sides. As the discussion unfolded we were able to present the fact that good and evil exist in varying degrees within humanity. Inevitably the theory that humanity will eventually destroy itself was raised. This led us to World War III, which Ares started as a way to end the debate that had no foreseeable conclusion. The war served the purpose of providing an ending that would not answer the question.The second part of our presentation involved a more abstract way of illustrating the two sides of our proverbial coin. Live dance sequences, interspersed between the arguments of the film, provided us with concrete imagery allowing for the personification of Good, Evil, and the ongoing and violent struggle between them. Similar movement in the dances allowed us to show that the edges of good and evil cannot always be clearly defined. The combination of dance with the technical aspects of music, lighting, costuming and staging brought out the personalities of the forces of Good and Evil themselves, thus setting up the clash of the Battle. The Battle provided a way to show that Death is universal, with neither good nor evil being able to escape it. As the only force that is both pure and eternal, Death itself is neither good nor evil, but is black, white, and all shades of gray. In order that the question remained unanswered, we decided to not show either Good or Evil winning the battle. Instead, Death reigns supreme over the carcass-strewn field as the remnants of Good and Evil continue the struggle. The experience of this project has brought us enlightenment in several respects. This project made us explore our definitions of good and evil, as well as our thoughts about the ways in which humanity must strive for balance between good and evil. One of the complexities raised in this project has been the difficulty of finding a cut and dry definition of good and evil. Everyone has his/her own interpretation and definition of these two driving forces, and they are very often depicted as true black and true white. The concept that few people have either the mental or emotional capacity to accept is that there are many shades of gray between black and white, and that everyone must decide for him/herself where the line between good and evil exists within the gray area. The conclusion we have come to echoes the teachings of Lao Tzi, and Daoist principles. Good and Evil are caught together in a symbiotic relationship, neither being able to exist individually. Light cannot exist without shadow, for it would be impossible to define light without its converse also being present. The daily struggle, as we see it, is one that occurs not only within societies, but also within ourselves. The project as a whole has come to represent this struggle within each person as well as the struggle throughout humanity. Throughout the play we made reference to Dante's trilogy, specifically The Inferno. Early in the project we realized that we believe, as did Dante, that the varying shades of good and evil are both present and necessary within society. The references that we made within the play allowed us to illustrate the varying shades of good and evil. When condemning humanity, Hades expressed the fact that the varying degrees of evil were punished in Hell based on how grave the sin committed was. Hera pointed out the fact that not every sin committed is perceived as being a sin by the person(s) involved, such as overthrowing a tyrant. With this conversation, we established the fact that a grey area overlaps the boundaries of good and evil. Dante also recognized the existing grey area in Purgatorio and, through Paridisio showed the rewards humans reaped by leading good lives.In addition to the film, we represented these three aspects, as delineated by Dante, through the dance sequences. The evil dance is not only a personification of evil, but also a representation of demonic forces. Similarly, the good dance is also a representation of righteous forces. The grey shrouded dancers stand for the victims of war, and are also a physical representation of the indefinable area between good and evil. As shown through the works referenced page, we were influenced by a wide variety of literature, myth, and cinematically represented archetypes. This is just a small example of how we were able to incorporate our humanities background into the thesis.