Olympian Plays: A Comprehensive Introduction to Greek Mythology Written in Television Script Form

Most people think of the immortals and mortals in Mythology as staid and remote individuals, as remote from them in character as they are in time. But if one reads Mythology as a panarama of life, then the personages become very personal. For example, Zeus is the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, but he is also a father who loses his very own son and is helpless to do anything about it. Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, but she is also a victim of love in her tragic liaison with Adonis. Hermes is the con artist of Olympus, yet he is helplessly entrapped by Aphrodite's charms. Apollo is the most beautiful of the gods, but he has great difficulty in winning the hearts of young virgins. Mythology is replete with these kinds of ironies, which in most books are lost in the tapestry of people, places and events. For this reason I have chosen drama as the format to present a comprehensive introduction to Mythology. I believe drama is the perfect vehicle to draw the parallels and to focus on the ironies of life that are present in Mythology. I have further used a simplified television script format to bring Mythology closer to the modern reader. If in some particular life situation, a reader recalls a similar event in Mythology and identifies with it, my plays will have served a useful purpose. 636p. llllus.[B & W]