finelythreadedsky:finelythreadedsky:Rosie Wyles, “Towards Theorising the Place of Costume in Perform

finelythreadedsky:finelythreadedsky:Rosie Wyles, “Towards Theorising the Place of Costume in Performance Reception,” in Theorising Performance: Greek Drama, Cultural History and Critical Practice (ed. Edith Hall and Stephe Harrop), 2010Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1264-1272, my translation with stage directions of Alan SommersteinRosie Wyles, “Costume in Action,” Costume in Greek Tragedy, 2011OH i am also thinking about deaths that happen off-stage but are described as preceded by disrobing– because iphigenia does exactly the same thing as cassandra from this perspective, removes the clothing that marks her identity and the entirety of her character in preparation for her death (κρόκου βαφὰς δ᾽ ἐς πέδον χέουσα, and there’s debate about what precisely we’re supposed to envision happening here– is it just the the fabric flows the length of her body? is iphigenia removing an outer garment? are we meant to imagine her naked?). deianira and clytemnestra tear their garments open to let the blow land easier (notably polyxena does not). and jocasta, which is not nearly as explicit but she hangs herself with what must have been her sash or girdle, then oedipus takes the two pins that would have formed her sleeves, and then there is nothing left to hold her clothes up. (similar can be said of other hanged women like antigone, although not as completely, but still the costume is loosened and the character is let go) and i do think this is implied and important. she takes off jocasta, sheds the character itself, casts off her role in life as the actor physically casts off the role in the play.the undoing of the character marked by the undoing of the costume even after it has already been undone by absence from the stage -- source link

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