The thespians’ excitement seeps through the Hewitt halls…
Metamorphoses is an anthology of ancient Greek and Roman myths with specific morals to impart wisdom upon the audience while entertaining them. The epic poem was originally written by Ovid, a Roman poet who composed the piece in dactylic hexameter around 8 AD. Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, a play based on Ovid’s epic, was premiered in 1996 at Northwestern University. Her adaptation contains both aspects of Ancient Greek life and modern day life, from traditional feasts and wealthy kings to a teenager complaining about her daddy-issues. This gives the piece the feel of an old tale, but lets the audience relate to the stories because of the modernity.
The play Metamorphoses truly brings you on a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from tears to laughter with its feel-good endings. Our Hewitt cast has worked tirelessly to execute this difficult and intriguing play.
But the Hewitt fixation with Metamorphoses doesn’t stop with the stage: Ovid’s epic has taken over Hewitt’s Latin classes IV and V. These Latin scholars have been translating the play’s individual stories and discussing their messages since the beginning of the school year. The classes translated Ovid’s “Midas” and “Orpheus and Eurydice,” both of which are in Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. Latin V, the senior latin section, created wonderful commentary outlining the grammar and vocabulary necessary to translate “Midas” for Latin IV, the junior Latin section. (Thanks again, seniors!!). The classes partnered up for two periods to discuss the stories and their meanings as well as the literal translation, vocabulary, grammar, and culture of the Latin text itself. Latin V also translated another myth of their choice from Metamorphoses, such as “Pygmalion” or “Daedalus & Icarus.”
I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you by telling you some of the stories’ morals, but you’ll definitely find them intriguing. For a more in-depth conversation Mr. Joffee, Mr. Kauffman, or Ms. Stevens would be happy to help!
The importance of integrating classroom learning and application of these concepts in our curriculum cannot be overstated. When topics are restricted to just one subject and one classroom, different perspectives and ways of thinking are lost. Being able to understand the Latin text of Metamorphoses in class and then seeing the words come to life at the dress rehearsal tonight was magical; the feeling of excitement, knowledge, and accomplishment comes as the cherry on top of this kind of engagement. Having the actors bring live out the characters on paper will help any student to gain new insight on the stories they have read.
Join us on Thursday and Friday at 7 PM in the gymnasium for two wonderful performances of a timeless story! Buy your tickets here.