In the aftermath of the fall of Troy, Agamemnon, the victor, locks horns with Hecuba, the vanquished queen. Both have suffered intimate loss — the sacrifice of a daughter, the murder of a son.
How glorious it all was. How glorious they all were.
We mustn’t judge things by their end.
In Marina Carr’s bold response to Euripides (‘the most intensely tragic of all poets’ — Aristotle) there’s a demand for further bloodshed. In a brilliant display of ventriloquism the drama weaves threads of inconsolable rage and grief with fate, revenge and inevitable carnage. It explores the shreds of duty and honour as well as the terrible deeds hatred breeds as it touches bravely on Hecuba’s heroic nature and ‘the endless tears of women’.
‘I am not aware of another woman who writes about tragedy with such grandeur. She goes to a deep place that has not just to do with society now but that touches an inner tragedy of existence.‘ — Joyce McMillen, New York Times
‘Marina Carr is not only one of the finest women playwrights of her generation, but simply one of the finest playwrights of any generation. Marina’s work is infused with a rawness, a dynamism and an energy unlike almost any other contemporary playwright. From plays like The Mai to By the Bog of Cats and On Raftery’s Hill, her plays are private, personal epics, heavily influenced by the Greek classics and at the same time uniquely contemporary and Irish. Marina’s work is linguistically brave and forceful, and is beautifully rendered and passionate. In short, Marina Carr’s work represents everything that great theatre should be.’ — Orlaith McBride, Director, Arts Council of Ireland
