Review of The Tragedy of Orpheus and the Maenads

[Annabell Samuel]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Tragedy of Orpheus and the Maenads" by David Lane.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The world of literature has evolved, and we’ve seen a proliferation of simplicity in writing. This simplicity has affected the three worlds of literature: prose, play, and poetry. When I was much younger, I used to read Shakespeare’s plays. Reading “The Tragedy of Orpheus and the Maenads” by David Lane felt nostalgic; it took me back to the days I used to read Shakespearean plays.

In this play, Orpheus is mourning the death of his wife. Apollo, the god of music, sends his muses to convince him to go back to his people. The only thing that matters to Orpheus is to be left alone to mourn his dead wife. Meanwhile, Dionysus, the god of the vine, has plans for Orpheus. Thus begins a tale of agony, pain, deceit, and vengeance.

This is not your conventional play. Even lovers of Shakespearean plays will have to dig deeper into their core to extract the messages in this book. The author uses what he calls “poetic diction,” which I believe is the way poems and plays of the 17th and 18th centuries were written. I warn you again: This is not your regular read. You must have a deep appreciation of poetic diction to enjoy this book.

Even though the author used unconventional English to write, he made provisions for his readers to at least flow with the narrative. He did this in three ways. First, he provided a list of the characters and their roles or positions in the play. That way, you would appreciate the uniqueness of each character. Secondly, the author used scene and setting explanations to help the reader understand what was happening in a particular scene. Even from some of the characters’ speeches, you could deduce their connections to each other even without looking at the list of characters. Check out this statement: “No man, dear son, may aught now said gainsay And not offend fair truth and candour sweet.” From this Calliope’s words, I knew Orpheus was her son. Thirdly, there was a glossary at the end of the play to help the reader understand the strange and archaic words used in the play.

The only issue I had with this book was the poem attached to it after the play. Considering that the poem was written in unconventional English, most contemporary readers might be turned off. I struggled to understand the 2-part elegy. This book would have been perfect with only the play; the poem was an unnecessary addition. 

There is no way to say whether the book is edited for grammar or not, as the author uses unconventional and archaic English. However, my only issue with the book is the inclusion of the poem, which makes me rate it four out of five stars. If you enjoy Shakespearean plays, you will love this book.

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The Tragedy of Orpheus and the Maenads
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[Leona Rodrigues]

The review is beautifully written, highlighting all the positives and negatives in detail! I might consider reading this piece in the future as the book sounds interesting!