THE BIRDS: SUMMARY
When researching The Birds and reading through different editions of the text, I realised that with every translation the play was slightly disimilar, probably due to it being an old text. Overall, I gathered a simple summary together:
1) The characters of Euelpides and Pisthetaerus leave Athens after purchasing a crow and jackdaw, after being told these birds will lead them to someone who can assist them in their quest for a quieter country, free from taxes and social responsibilities.
2) Upon following the directions of the crow and the jackdaw in their possession, they are lead to Tricholus, slave bird to Epops, who is the character that is said to help them in discovering a new place to begin life. They flatter Tricholus, saying they wish they could be like him; carefree, devoid of debt, etc.
3) Introduced to Epops, they ask him to direct them to a place that is more pleasant than Athens. He makes several suggestions, but none suit Euelpides or Pisthetaerus.
4) Pisthetaerus comes up with an idea to found a city. It will be built in the sky; the perfect place to control both mankind and the Gods by controlling the trafficking of sacrificial smoke, thus starving the Gods and intercepting the communication between the heavens and earth.
5) Epops likes this idea. He awakes and summons the rest of the birds. From descriptions of the birds we can guess that they are references to public figures of the time.
6) The other birds are startled and frightened of the two humans and decide to try and kill them. However, Epops convinces them to hear out the men by listing their virtues and flattering the birds.
7) Pisthetaerus speaks to the birds, once again telling them they're superior and older to both Gods and men, and that they should rule over all dominions. He tells elaborate lies, drawing from myth about their history and relationship with the Gods to convince them of their superiority.
8) The birds decide to approach Zeus and get him to surrender his power to them, otherwise they threaten that they will no longer allow him to go to earth in order to sleep with mortal women. Equally, if mankind doesn't sacrifice to the birds instead of Gods then they will destroy the crops. If they do, then they'll help then out by maintaining pests.
9) Epops directs the men to eat a certain root that grants them wings. They begin building a city, and arranging religious ceremonies to honor the birds.
10) A messenger announces the city complete, but a second messenger soon announces an infiltration by the goddess Iris sent by Zeus. They don't let her pass into the city, and threaten to kill her even though she's immortal.
11) Afterwards, a Herald comes from the world below telling Pisthetaerus that thousands of humans want to join the bird city and convert to birds too.
12) Pisthetaerus enters the bird city, masked for fear that Zeus will discover him. Zeus finds him and tells Pisthetaerus that the Gods are starving as they're not receiving any of the smoke, and leaves saying that he will sends messengers to negotiate.
13) Heracles, Poseidon and Tribulas come in peace to negotiate. Pisthetaerus asks that Zeus yields power to him, and pitches an advantageous alliance with the birds to the Gods. The play ends with them being convinced, and the wedding party of Pisthetaerus amd Basilea, Zeus' assistant.
Currently, the concepts I'm getting that are inspired by this text are as follows:
- a series of masks, stemmed from the idea that masks in traditional Greek theatre were very widely featured, and one of the key symbols form the contextual time era.
- The idea that the city and the birds could be mechanical.
- Anthropomorphic character designs for the different breeds of the birds.
- Egyptian transposal of the play, as that time era has a lot of similar themes the play suggests e.g. gods, heaven and earth, power, hierachy.
- The idea that the play, although a comedy is quite heavily based in politics.
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