Resonances of an Enduring Lament: The ‘Trojan Women’ as a War Play

Abstract

War creates problems that are common to people across space and time. One such is the breakup of the family unit. The Greeks fought the Trojan War in prehistoric times upon which is based the play “Trojan Women” authored by Euripides. It is important to search the relevance of this Greek play written in 415 BCE, and the society in which it was produced to the Sri Lankan society of the 21st century in the point of view of the producer and director of the Sinhala drama. What common factors did they see between these two societies to open a discussion of an ancient war of the western world? This question arose with the experience of being part of the production of this play at a university level. Here I’m going to do this study by using the both primary and secondary sources. I hope to discuss this production as a Sri Lankan drama and its relation to my central topic. I hope to discuss and develop the central topic with the guidance of the play’s producer, senior lecturer Mr. Priyankara Rathnayake, of the of Drama, theatre and image arts unit of the University of Kelaniya and discussions with the actors, costume designers, makeup artists and music directors, all whom were students of the university.