Molora

by Yael Farber

Based on the Oresteia by Aeschylus

In this reworking of Aeschylus’ Oresteia, Klytemnestra and Elektra face one another in a dramatic confrontation. Attempts to come to terms with their violent past echo testimonies delivered in Apartheid’s wake throughout South Africa during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Aeschylus’ chorus is replaced by Xhosa tribeswomen, who bring grace and humanity through their ancient art of split tone singing. Molora (the Sesotho word for ‘ash’) is an examination of vengeance, and the breaking of its cycles by the everyman.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Mythology, Theatre, Retellings, African Literature, Classics

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2008

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a stunning reworking of Aeschylus's Oresteia. It is exactly what a retelling should be - recognisable, true to the spirit of the original, yet profoundly disturbing, haunting, and fresh. It's a little overwrought in places - even taking into consideration the heightened and anachronistic nature of Greek drama - and the ending is disappointing for its abruptness - if only Klytemenestra's speech had been longer. Though I don't doubt that Farber's admiration rests with Elektra, the slave and victim of horrific torture and atrocities from her mother, her truly majestic, beautiful, and unforgettable rhetoric rests with Klytemenestra. Perhaps because Klytemenestra is the only member of the cast not asked to bear any strong moral significance, she is allowed to act and respond in a way that makes her perhaps the greatest (and worst, and most terrifying) Klytemenestra from the modern stage.

[Gui Nabais Freitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yael Farber's play is a stunning tour de force which revisits the Oresteia and maps it onto the contemporary struggle for South African identity in the wake of the end of Apartheid. Two options present themselves to the nation, as they do to Elektra and Orestes, vengeance or reconciliation. Klytemnestra, importantly, is the play's only white character.

Farber's foreword to the text edition sets out the complexity of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, making it clear that it isn't neatly reducible into either the nature of the new rainbow-coloured state, nor a simple "love thy neighbour as thyself". It is a deeper issue which touches on our common mortality and humanity, and whether we wish to pursue a future of peace or conflict. One of the motifs of play are ashes (the title Molora is the Sesotho word for 'ashes') and Farber does not shy away from identifying them from many of the major events of the 21st century, including 9/11 and the War on Terror.

Beyond the political and social context which establish the contours of the play, Farber's play itself is haunting and powerful. I found that parts of the play reminded me not only of the Greek source texts, but also Hamlet and Sartre's Les Mouches. For me one of the most powerful scenes in the play was the moment where Elektra moves from testifying against her mother into the past where we are confronted with a torture scene, mother against daughter. The parallels between that scene and the torture scene and Apartheid-era ones is made clear in Farber's stage directions which deliberately make it clear that the scene should not be sanitised. The Xhosa women who serve as the chorus are cleverly chosen, and the story of Farber's finding them to take part in the play is fascinating in its own right, and they provide an intensity and emotional presence which really makes the chorus a central part of the play. This is the first Farber play I read and it has definitely persuaded me to read more.

[Alison (Marie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely in love with this contemporary take on The Orestia. The way Farber mixed its story with the history of the TRC in South Africa was just stunning. Having studied abroad in South Africa, I was overjoyed to be able to immerse myself once again in the culture. I'm practically speechless.

[Aliosha Bielenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
The Oresteia set in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 1990s South Africa. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, the pastiche is too often clumsy and awkward. For example, I was unconvinced by the meshing of Xhosa phrases, new English writing, and quotes from a number of modern translations of Euripides and Sophocles. This isn't helped by the melodrama of some of the scenes. With the right work, this could have been a moving meditation on retribution and restoration. Instead, Farber makes her points too blatantly, without convincing characterization or plot. In sum: great idea, mediocre execution.

[Daniëlle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting retelling of the Oresteia triology as a take on justice in the post-colonial age. The changes Farber made to the Greek original give a lot of food for thought - not just on justice, foregivenss and colonialism, but also on the gendered experience. It is a shame that the play reinforces some African stereotypes a bit too much (to appeal to an international audience?), exoticing South-Africa in a way that has more to do with the Western view on Africa than the actual place. However, that doesn't retract from the more interesting aspects of the play.

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an original retelling of Ancient Greek myth/drama in the context of post-apartheid South Africa. It’s very emotional and definitely worth reading. Even for someone who’s unfamiliar with South African history or Greek tragedy - you’ll learn a lot in the process. As a Classics student with knowledge of the latter, Molora held some unexpected plot-twists.

I hope I will one day see a stage production of this play.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.

[Matt Mazereeuw]

Wow, amazing emotions and I truly wish I can see the play with the original chorus one day.

[Nusrat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 maybe 4

[Sawyer]

very interesting pair to theory + literary canon

[anisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragically, thoughtful play. Explores the trauma after the Apartheid. The playwright, Farber beautifully captures the tensions and abuse the characters experience, as the family curse beacomes a justification for the cycle of violence. However, the tragic and hopeful character, Orestia, bravely ends the brutal violence and senseless murders and persuades his sister to forgive and work towards a better future. A well-thought out, compelling play which depicts the horrors of slavery, racial tensions and post-Apartheid in South Africa. I would 100% recommend to anyone, a worthwhile read. :)

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just a stunning Oresteia adaptation. Faber does so many interesting things with the Aeschylus source text it's difficult to know what to cover in this review. One thing I found really interesting is the ritual quality in much of this play--this is a scene heavy play, rather than one that goes for continuous action, and many of the scenes have the quality of rituals to them. The movements, language, and gestures seem highly stylized as a means of conveying a specific tone, a specific relation between characters, and a specific meaning.

Faber sets this play essentially in contemporary South Africa, relying on a knowledge of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and how they took testimony in a public, performative way. I won't say much about this because I don't want to spoil the ending, but this play uses the ethos of the TRC to intervene in the Oresteia (especially in The Libation Bearers).
https://youtu.be/QJ_CpQgj3vk

[Floris Meertens]

De maatschappijkritische houding werd wel iets te onsubtiel gebracht aan het einde van het toneelstuk, terwijl het voor de rest niet eens heel centraal leek te staan überhaupt. Voor de rest wel een boeiende herinterpretatie van Elektra.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

30 minutes of my life that I will never get back.

[Andreas Jacobsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.0

[Beks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yael Farber is so powerful at retelling old stories with a new light. She’s compiled much of the Agamemnon / Orestes / Elektra / Klytemnestra trilogy into a succinct and short play that draws parallels between the closure of the cycles of ancient revenge tragedy and the TRC.

Dust as something both terrible and beautiful emerging from the fire and covering the land is thought provoking. I wish I could have witnessed the split tone singing chorus.

The image of blood in the boots sticks in my mind potently. As does the familial reconciliation that concludes the play: but it’s covered in dust and the stage is bloody. Even if the revenge cycle is broken the memories of pain and violence are present still.