Oceanids
There were three thousand “slender-ankled” nymphs born to the goddess Tethys and her brother Ocean, themselves children of the Earth and Sky. Some sources say there were even more, perhaps four thousand, but since 3,000 is already 2,559 more than Hesiod is able to name in the Theogony, let it suffice. Some unspecified number of these Daughters of Ocean, “barefoot girls with the wings of sea birds,” form the chorus of the classical Greek drama Prometheus Bound. They come to bear witness as Prometheus is tortured by order of Zeus—chained to a rock while an eagle pecks out his liver, because he has stolen fire from the gods and given it to humans. Among the members of the Chorus is Hesione, the wife of Prometheus; her name, like “Prometheus” means forethought.
Carol Lashof’s The Daughters of the Ocean is set in the possible-future state of Messianica, governed by the Christian Theocratic Party. Until recently, Prometheus, along with his wife Hesione, led the most influential dissident group in Messianica, known as “The Pagans.” Then he was arrested and charged with heresy. The Pagans have long opposed the ruling party’s doctrine that Man holds dominion over Nature. They used to practice nonviolent resistance, but after the arrest of their leader, the Movement splintered, and the all-female militant party “The Daughters of Ocean” was formed. The Daughters believe that Nature’s supremacy must be restored—at once, and by any means necessary. Meanwhile, the government has chosen to make an example of Prometheus: they are broadcasting his torture live on prime-time television. As Hesione watches her husband’s nightly evisceration, she becomes more and more desperate to free him. She forms a plan to smuggle him out of prison. Her sister party members object on the grounds that their leader’s public martyrdom is building support for the revolution, and so it should continue. If Hesione wants to end her husband’s suffering, she must persuade her comrades to act against their deep convictions, or else she must break with them entirely. But would even Prometheus want her to abandon the cause?
OCEANIDS or THE DAUGHTERS OF THE OCEAN by Carol Lashof
Directed by Valerie Fachman
Staged Reading on November 5, 2014
Colleen Egan (Stage Directions)
Fatima Zahra El Filali (Admeta)
Rose Marie Fox (Rhodos)
Carole Swann (Hesione)
Teri Whipple (Lyris)
From Adam and Eve to Briseis and Chryseis, stories drawn from the classics of western literature have been the stuff of Carol’s plays. She particularly enjoys reimagining myths from the perspective of women, monsters, and monstrous women. Her play Medusa’s Tale was published in Plays in One Act and has been staged on five continents, most recently (November 2013) at the University of Guam and the University of Arizona. Other mythology-themed plays include The Minotaur and Persephone Underground, published and licensed by YouthPLAYS; The Minotaur will be staged by The Berkeley School at the Live Oak Theatre in north Berkeley, March 20-21, 2014. Among Carol’s recent full-length plays is Just Deserts—a dark comedy retelling the foundation myth of the western justice system from the point of view of The Furies; in 2013 it enjoyed staged readings at Symmetry Theatre in Berkeley and Tasty Monster Productions in Washington, DC. Carol is a member of Play Café, the Playwrights Center of San Francisco, and the Dramatists Guild.
The image of the Oceanid was created by Cody A. Rishell. You can see more of his work at here and here.