Triptych and Iphigenia: Two Plays (Books That Changed the World)

By: Edna O'Brien

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Synopsis: Two plays by the acclaimed Irish author: an adaption of Euripides and an “emotionally bruising drama” of three women obsessed with the same man (The New York Times).TriptychWith searing acuity, O’Brien presents the story of three women—a mistress, a wife, and a daughter—who are all helplessly drawn to Henry: their lover, husband, and father. While Henry himself never appears, his specter is never absent as these women confront the ways that love can simultaneously liberate and entrap. Triptych is a powerful work that explores sex, marriage, and predatory relationships.IphigeniaIn this modern take on the Greek tragedy, O’Brien takes creative license with Euripides’s tale of a daughter sacrificed for the sake of war. This taut, contemporary version presents, in O’Brien’s own words, “a more equal representation of the power and presence of both male and female characters” (Edna O’Brien, Independent, UK).“Intriguingly original . . . emotionally brave and engagingly clever.” –R. Hurwitt, The San Francisco Chronicle