Review Of Ariel Dorfman's Purgatorio: A Greek Tragedy

Purgatorio by Ariel Dorfman is a sequel to the classical play Medea – a greek tragedy by Euripides – which presents the afterlife of Medea and Jason. The play consisted of only 2 cast – a man and a woman – which alternately wears a white coat and a black clothing giving us the idea of one confronting the other. From the start towards the end, there is an exploration on issues concerning their past and how these sins can be forgiven. There is an importance in having to study this for it answers how sins – no matter how big and small they are – can be forgiven if the person understands, accepts the situation, and repents from the heart. In this paper, I will talk about how the whole plot takes a step further from what the classical play Medea is concerned because it encompasses Medea and Jason’s search for

Although it was based from the Greek tragedy written by Euripides, the set, props, and costumes are very much modern. The play presented a set that is simply a white plain room, with a surveillance camera or known as CCTV which aims to watch their every doing. The concept of this CCTV is somehow similar to the panopticon design used in the late 18th century. As a panopticon “allows a watchman to observe occupants without the occupants knowing whether or not they are being watched” (McMullan, 2015), that is how the CCTV was used in the play. For them to always remember that someone is out there and that they should be careful with their actions. Aside from this, the props used are things commonly found these days - a modern bed and table, and a Ziploc. In every cases and interrogation happening in the present time, items collected or anything that can serve as proof in the scene are stored in a Ziploc to preserve and maintain the evidence. Similarly, the knife that Medea used in murdering her children was stored in a Ziploc to show how it was preserved even in the