In Christine Evan’s play Trojan Barbie, a vacationing, English, doll repairing tourist by the name of Lotte is hastily taken hostage into the ancient world of Troy’s Trojan Women Camp, while on a singles-tour of modern day Troy. This piece, written in 2009 for Evans niece pays homage to the classical tale of Euripides Trojan Women, revived with a 21st century take on the current times less than fiction reality of warfare and sexual politics. However, Evans also assists in updating the foundation of the piece by introducing the character of Lotte into the scene. Though Lotte is on tour at the time she very much serves as a tour guide for the audience throughout the play. Although she may not be a major character such as a lead or a villain, …show more content…
she certainly serves as an intertwining rhythm in the tale. In addition, Lotte also represents the collision of both ancient and modern-day worlds all the while playing a recognizable character who is very much relatable today. Just as Lotte assists the spectators through the production from a present point of view, the characters of Trojan Barbie also assist the audience in flowing through past and present simultaneously.
For example, Hecuba’s role is to represent the opposite of Lotte, she is a woman of the past deeply tied to the roots of the original text from which she hails. Therefore, when Hecuba and Lotte assist one another in repairing the deceased Astyanax, the core character of the present, and the core character of the past display the ties between women over thousands of years, as for a moment the worlds come together. Furthermore, Evans dives deeper by using artistic freedom with many other characters, yet none more than with Polly X- whom is mentioned in the original text yet never …show more content…
seen. Traditionally due to the strict rules of Greek plays, the imprisonment as well as sacrifice of Polyxena would not be seen on stage, but rather it would be Andromache who repeats the news to the characters as well as the audience. However, Evans questions the role of sexuality and sexual treatment of women by showcasing Poly’s kidnapping, their handling of her in custody, and her ultimate sacrifice- all the while adding the insight of her homeland’s deteriorative state and the disruption of her family during the post demise of Troy. Though, Trojan Barbie does convey a plethora of themes, it is perhaps most evident during Poly’s custody the multiple references to Evan’s two most visual themes, portraying countless symbols tying the war on women and sexual politics.
Reference of tigers and yellow are mentioned on numerous occasions during Polly’s time with the soldiers. Objects such as the rat’s eyes in the art sculpture Polly observed, or the yellow of the beer described as yellow represent the ill nature of the events occurring along with the prevalence of the tiger to represent women. Jorge, the solider who eventually falls in love with Polly, speaks of tigers and how they perform better when they have a single master teaching them rather than a group of instructors attempting to tell them what to do. He demonstrates this by taming the tiger until it goes submissive. However, the tiger strikes and eventually bites Jorge during Max’s sexual assault towards Polly, demonstrating the taming of sexual politics and the way they may turn and attack. In addition, it demonstrates the thought where one may be submissive, yet underneath harness aggression and horrifying
anger. Lastly, in addition to exploring the themes through characters and characterization, they are also prominently explored through the various ways the characters speak as well as Evan’s use of language. An example of such would be the way Lotte speaks, she talks colloquial or in latent terms, conversational as one would hear any normal person of today speak in contrast to Hecuba who speaks in a poetic text. Furthermore, there are points within the text where the language of both worlds merge together, the greatest instances used within the text would be with Helen and Cassandra. Even though she is from the ancient poetic world, Helen demands Tylenol. Tylenol, which is a modern concept continuously, as Cassandra whose speech mimics the beautiful poetry of her mother yet claims time and again to being impregnated with machine guns and bombs. These instances within the text, are important to the development of the theme of women within war, not just women of past warfare. With this, Evan’s focus falls on the concept that the way women are handled during times of combat is something that has not transformed since the classical text of the original tale of Euripides using the language differentiations between characters as critical development within the text. Leaving the unwavering thought, are the issues the women of Trojan Barbie face really that ancient? Regarding Evan’s piece, it clearly suggests this still happens today, and is a prominent issue.
When the narrator first compares her Barbies, she thinks that she needs perfect and new Barbies to fit in with everybody else. The narrator does understand that her family does not have money, but she simply works around it. Although, she wants more Barbies it was unlikely for them to get them. The narrator says, “Because we don’t have money for a stupid-looking boy doll when we’d both rather ask for a new Barbie outfit next christmas. (14-15)” The narrator has to make do with what she has. She can not have a boy Barbie because it is not in her parents budget. This affects her and it makes her lose confidence in herself because she does not have what everybody else has. After the narrator receives her partially messed up Barbies, she says, “And if the prettiest doll, Barbie’s MOD’ern cousin Francie with real eyelashes, eyelash brush included, has a left that that’s melted a little-so? If you dress her in her new ‘Prom Pinks’ outfit, satin splendor with matching coat, gold belt, clutch, and hair bow included, so long as you don’t lift her dress, right?-who’s to know. (16)” Even though the Barbie has a melted left foot, the narrator moves past this. She will just cover it up with a dress. The narrator wanted new and perfect Barbie’s in the beginning, but she realized that these Barbie’s are not everything and she can make them her own. She is not defined by her Barbies. Sandra Cisneros used symbolism and characterization to describe how the narrator had a hard time coming into her own identity and finding
“If Barbie was designed by a man, suddenly a lot of things made sense to me,” says Emily Prager in her essay “Our Barbies, Ourselves” (Prager 354). Prager’s purpose for writing this essay is to explain the history of Barbie and how the doll itself has influenced and continue to influence our society today. Prager is appealing to the average girl, to those who can relate to the way she felt growing up with Barbie seen as the ideal woman. Emily Prager uses a constant shift between a formal and informal tone to effectively communicate her ideas that we view women today based upon the unrealistic expectations set forth by Barbie. By adopting this strategy she avoids making readers feel attacked and therefore
In class we have discussed in great detail the historical background of classical Greece and Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata. Although Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata serves as a useful insight for women’s history during an era in which not a lot of information exists or can be verified, it widens the door to women being mocked and seen only as a form of entertainment.
This website article provides the history of Barbie and her newly inspiring images for young women. Barbie was the new popular doll during World War 2 because she provided something inspiring for young girls and something that mothers felt strong about, independence. Barbie helped with what was being told to women, that they didn’t have to settle for being just a housewife or a stay at home mother. Women around the country could have a variety, a choice to work and have a career. “Barbie’s early professions were limited
206 paragraph one, (line 1), Sandra Cisneros reveals a model of how girls see themselves in the future. The girls felt the dolls represent the same story and scenario each time they came together and play with each other. The attitude, style and quality of dolls. The interchanging of clothes, character's likes and dislikes as depicted the deception by a doll; from a child's point of view. The girls noticed that when the male Barbie doll drops by the other Barbie would steal him away. A typical boy meets girls; girl thinks boy is cute; boy leaves with the opposite girl. This is a reflected of Sandra Cisneros’s short story "Barbie-Q, "p. 206 , paragraph 1 , (line 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 ) . The girls are tired of the social scene the boy Barbie represents. They only want to play among themselves without any boys. The girls enjoyed looking forward to Christmas and receiving gifts of clothes for their Barbie dolls. This is also, reflected in the insults the girls shared among their future Barbie dolls. In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros, the girls enjoyed going to the flea market, purchasing used clothes for Barbie dolls. Barbie dolls meant so much to the two little girls because they didn't care if their Barbie dolls were wearing hand-me-downs; second hand doll clothing sold alongside the street. The joy came from undressing and dressing up the dolls. The girls even found career clothes to match up to their doll's future. In the short
...elings and portrays them through the main character Elphalba. It is as if he is taking a part of himself, the part filled with rage and frustration, and building the character Elphalba with it. She is the feminine, yet somewhat masculine, part of him revealing itself through the book.
The representation of female characters in the work may initially come across as acting irrationally, but closer examination shows that in fact their motivations were guided by contemporary values and therefore are more reflective of more positively portrayed characters.
Distraction, lack of education, disinterest and misinterpretation; every one of these words describe a reason people give for being uniformed and unaware of the current events swirling around them. In an effort to try and remedy the lack of awareness about the problems plaguing the country, many artists and entertainers use satire, a literary device which merges a critical attitude with humor and wit to the end that human organizations or humanity may be improved (Harris), to keep the general public, somewhat, informed. Often times, movies, comic strips, music, literature and television shows are used to satirize current events, political views and different morals.
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
In the book “Gender Trouble” (1990), feminist theorist Judith Butler explains “gender is not only a social construct, but also a kind of performance such as a show we put on, a costume or disguise we wear” (Butler). In other words, gender is a performance, an act, and costumes, not the main aspect of essential identity. By understanding this theory of gender as an act, performance, we can see how gender has greatly impacted the outcome of the play in William Shakespeare’s Othello. From a careful analysis of the story, tragedy in Othello is result of violating expected gender roles, gender performance by Desdemona and Othello, and the result of Iago’s inability to tolerate these violations.
...ale counterparts are uncharacteristic of the stereotypical role that women served and their masculine-like actions are not representative of a woman’s role in ancient Greece. Aristophanes’ Lysistrata is inconceivable and it appears that the author ignored many issues in light of comedic attributes. However, the play, filled with misogynistic undertones, will remain a war-comic. There is no pro-feminist movement occurring within the confines of the play or in classical Greece. The female protagonist is an example of the dangers of role reversal that Katherine French and Allyson Poska highlight in Women and Gender in the Western Past and the false identification or hope that Lysistrata presents. A play noted for its entertainment value should not be used as a source for women’s history. Lysistrata is theatrically entertaining in value and should remain as such.
Foley, Helene P., and Sean Gurd. "Female Acts in Greek Tragedy." Phoenix 57.1 (2003): 150-
“Lysistrata,” written following the trouncing of Athenian forces in Sicily in 413 BC, harkens back to this time of war. As is traditional in Athenian theater, males in drag played all of the female parts. This ritual increases the play’s absurdity. The play begins with the streets empty as the men are at war. The women speak to each other of both emotional and sexual starvation. They both
“Lysistrata” is a tale which is centered around an Athenian woman named Lysistrata and her comrades who have taken control of the Acropolis in Athens. Lysistrata explains to the old men how the women have seized the Acropolis to keep men from using the money to make war and to keep dishonest officials from stealing the money. The opening scene of “Lysistrata” enacts the stereotypical and traditional characterization of women in Greece and also distances Lysistrata from this overused expression, housewife character. The audience is met with a woman, Lysistrata, who is furious with the other women from her country because they have not come to discuss war with her. The basic premise of the play is, Lysistrata coming up with a plan to put an end to the Peloponnesian War which is currently being fought by the men. After rounding up the women, she encourages them to withhold sex until the men agree to stop fighting. The women are difficult to convince, although eventually they agree to the plan. Lysistrata also tells the women if they are beaten, they may give in, since sex which results from violence will not please the men. Finally, all the women join Lysistrata in taking an oath to withhold sex from their mates. As a result of the women refraining from pleasing their husbands until they stop fighting the war, the play revolves around a battle of the sexes. The battle between the women and men is the literal conflict of the play. The war being fought between the men is a figurative used to lure the reader to the actual conflict of the play which is the battle between men and women.
In the plays Medea and Hippolytus, both by Euripides, the female psyche is a point of focus that is not explored in many other Greek tragedies. Through these plays, we can discover the way women were viewed in Ancient Greek society as well as their concerns. We can also pay attention to how women are portrayed differently between the two plays.In Medea and Hippolytus, the women we spend the most time with are Medea and Phaedra. These women have vastly different values, but the cunning and determination they use to get their ways are not as different as one may believe.