I'm knee deep in research at the moment, trying to discover who Circe, the inspiration behind my next San Francisco Olympians Festival one-act play, is. I picked up a book by Giovanni Boccaccio called ON FAMOUS WOMEN, and he has some interesting insights:
"She made many men become haughty because of her matchless attraction, and so those who through this wicked woman's deeds appeared to have lost human reason seemed to have been deservedly changed into beasts through their own crimes.”
And:
"If we consider human behavior, we can well understand from this example that there are many Circes everywhere and many other men are changed into beasts by their lustfulness and their vices.”
PS, ON FAMOUS WOMEN was written in the 1360s, and so far it doesn't seem like Giovanni likes women all that much… At least not the lustful ones.
So far you're pretty great Circe, I can't wait to get to know you better.
Be sure and mark your calendars for the reading of my Circe play (Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 8pm at the Exit Theatre)! It will be joined by a new one-act by Kirk Shimano inspired by Aeolus. And, and, AND, the whole night will be directed by Claire Rice!
Okay, enough goofing off, I've got to get back to work.