Articles

Dead Awaken: Milo Rau and Greek Tragedy 

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Abstract

Director Milo Rau blends classical plays with contemporary stories in ways that propose enduring links between mythic stories and contemporary reality in the West. In the tradition of reinterpreting Greek tragedy, his Antigone in the Amazon and Medea’s Children (co-created with dramaturge Kaatje De Geest) draw clear parallels between ancient themes and real-world events of today. Rau’s Antigone is an environmental activist fighting for land rights, while his Medea extends the legacy of British suffragists (who, in fact, cited her “Women of Corinth” speech in support of women’s suffrage) to the general circumstances of women’s lives. The blurring of fiction and nonfiction is deeply engrained in Rau’s theater, and he shows the theatrical imaginary as both productively transformative and disturbingly repetitive. An examination of Rau’s adaptations of classical plays illuminates his approach to classic texts and the female characters in them. 

Keywords: Antigone, Violence, Greek Tragedy, Medea, Katharsis

How to Cite:

Martin, C., (2025) “Dead Awaken: Milo Rau and Greek Tragedy ”, Documenta 43(1): 2, 45–75. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/documenta.99715