If We Were Birds
eBook - PDF

If We Were Birds

  1. 89 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

If We Were Birds

About this book

When King Pandion marries his daughter Procne off to war hero King Tereus, she must leave her beloved sister Philomela behind. After years of isolation in a foreign land, Procne begs Tereus to collect her sister for a visit. When confronted with Philomela's beauty, Tereus's desire triumphs over reason, igniting a chain of horrific events. A harrowing exploration of violence and revenge, this adaptation features a chorus of ravaged women, each a survivor of a twenteth century conflict: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Nanking, and Berlin.

Erin 
Shields
66
Some 
excellent 
needlework. 
A 
bit 
gory 
for 
the 
boy’s 
room, 
maybe, 
but 
I 
suppose 
it’s 
a 
little 
cathartic.
P
ROCNE
When 
do 
the 
rites 
begin?
S
ERVANT
Rites?
P
ROCNE
To 
Bacchus.
S
ERVANT
Oh, 
those 
rites. 
Sundown, 
of 
course.
P
ROCNE
Please 
inform 
my 
husband 
that 
I 
will 
be 
joining 
in 
the 
uproar.
S
ERVANT
You 
will?
P
ROCNE
It’s 
not 
every 
day 
a 
woman 
can 
get 
possessed 
by 
a 
god’s 
drunken 
frenzy 
and 
run 
screaming 
into 
the 
forest.
S
ERVANT
Ah… 
yes, 
I 
mean, 
no. 
Yes.
The
S
ERVANT
exits. 
P
ROCNE
is 
alone.
P
ROCNE
I 
cannot 
conjure 
a 
drop 
of 
grief
from 
the 
pit 
of 
my 
stomach 
to 
my 
eyes 
or 
my 
tongue.
I 
am 
numb 
with 
ruin.
My 
skin 
cannot 
remember 
what 
it 
is 
to 
touch,
to 
be 
touched.
Why 
have 
you 
done 
this?
Why 
have 
you 
done 
this 
to 
her?
Why 
have 
you 
done 
this 
to 
me?
Husband?
My 
thoughts 
are 
consumed 
with 
revenge,
dipped 
in 
oil 
and 
set 
alight 
I 
burn 
with 
it.
I 
burn 
with 
it 
now, 
with 
revenge.
Revenge.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. A Note on the Chorus
  3. Punctuation Note
  4. Characters
  5. If We Were Birds
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. About the Author

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Information

Publisher
Playwrights Canada Press
Year
2011
Topic
Letteratura
Print ISBN
9781770910126
Subtopic
Teatro canadese
eBook ISBN
9781770910133

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Yes, you can access If We Were Birds by Erin Shields in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Letteratura & Teatro canadese. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.