Synopses & Reviews
< div=""> In this collection, Eric Bentley presents < i=""> Concord<> , a comedy adapted from Kleist's < i=""> The Broken Jug; <> < i=""> The Fall of the Amazons, <> a tragedy written in response to Kleist's < i=""> Penthesilea; <> and < i=""> Wannsee, <> a tragic-comedy which is Bentley's rendering of Kleist's < i=""> Cathy of Heilbronn.<> < br=""> < br=""> Bentley sets < i=""> Concord<> in a courthouse during the early days of the Republic. Convened to discover who broke an irreplaceable jug symbolic of the chivalric age of Sir Walter Raleigh, Judge Adam's madcap court flounders in hilarious chaos induced by huge lies to cover comic lust.< br=""> < br=""> < i=""> Fall of the Amazons<> is the story of Achilles and the Amazon queen, Penthesilea. Through this pagan play, Bentley explores improbably love, which he exemplifies in the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac: In seeming to be cruel to both father and son, God has enabled them to find, in total vulnerability, total love, a theme that also pervades Wannsee. < br=""> < br=""> Bentley's < i=""> Wannsee<> is a play of pageantry: emperors, counts, dueling knights, a young beauty of seemingly low birth, cherubs, and witches masked in loveliness. A fabulous love story ostensibly designed to dissuade Kleist from self-destruction, < i=""> Wannsee <> demonstrates with a flourish that, though devils roam the earth, there are also angels.< br=""> < iv="">
Review
"The name Eric Bentley is enough to guarantee the significance of any book of or about the drama." --Robert Penn Warren
Synopsis
Winner of 2006 International Association of Theatre Critics Thalia Prize
Winner of 2006 Village Voice OBIE Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
In this collection, Eric Bentley presents Concord, a comedy adapted from Kleist's The Broken Jug; The Fall of the Amazons, a tragedy written in response to Kleist's Penthesilea; and Wannsee, a tragic-comedy which is Bentley's rendering of Kleist's Cathy of Heilbronn.
Bentley sets Concord in a courthouse during the early days of the Republic. Convened to discover who broke an irreplaceable jug symbolic of the chivalric age of Sir Walter Raleigh, Judge Adam's madcap court flounders in hilarious chaos induced by huge lies to cover comic lust.
Fall of the Amazons is the story of Achilles and the Amazon queen, Penthesilea. Through this pagan play, Bentley explores improbably love, which he exemplifies in the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac: "In seeming to be cruel to both father and son, God has enabled them to find, in total vulnerability, total love," a theme that also pervades Wannsee.
Bentley's Wannsee is a play of pageantry: emperors, counts, dueling knights, a young beauty of seemingly low birth, cherubs, and witches masked in loveliness. A fabulous love story ostensibly designed to dissuade Kleist from self-destruction, Wannsee demonstrates with a flourish that, though devils roam the earth, there are also angels.
Synopsis
Winner of 2006 International Association of Theatre Critics Thalia Prize
Winner of 2006 Village Voice OBIE Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
In this collection, Eric Bentley presents Concord, a comedy adapted from Kleist's The Broken Jug; The Fall of the Amazons, a tragedy written in response to Kleist's Penthesilea; and Wannsee, a tragic-comedy which is Bentley's rendering of Kleist's Cathy of Heilbronn.
About the Author
Eric Bentley was born in England in 1916 and became an American citizen in 1948. He has earned a reputation as a scholar, teacher, professional theatre critic, performer, and a playwright.
Table of Contents
Worship: Its Wonder and Guises
Concord
Preface: In the Matter of Heinrich von Kleist
The Play
The Fall of the Amazons
Preface: On Hating the Other Sex
The Play
Wannsee
Preface: On Hoping Against Hope
The Play
Afterword: In the Matter of Eric Bentley