I would want Hecuba’s speech to start with her alone on stage until the line “Oh that dreadful day”. By starting with her alone, her fragility is emphasised, and lines such as “I yearn to be cradled” seem far more poignant. Without the chorus, there is no distraction from the importance of these lines, and the audience feel more sympathy for Hecuba’s character. By the time the chorus enter, she has built up her determination, and anger, particularly towards Helen, and begins to take on the role of the narrator. In my production, the chorus would then walk in slowly behind Hecuba, and take scattered positions on the stage. There would be one central chorus member who would here impersonate Helena, revealing the relationship between the two characters. Hecuba could then direct lines such as “that loathsome wife” and “that Spartan whore” directly to the chorus member acting as Helen, giving the actor something to work against, and the audience a greater understanding of the events of the play.
The other chorus members would enter as the other women of Troy, though also representing aspects of Hecuba’s own personality. Some members would portray strong, dominant and determined characters, such as Hecuba in the line “Come. Come out. Come you widows and fatherless daughters of Troy”. Here they would be looking out at the audience, standing straight with powerful body language. Conversely, other members would portray the opposite, with more weak, dejected body language. They would be looking down to the floor, holding themselves, and sitting down, curled up, such as is shown within Hecuba in the line “I yearn…to cry unending tears, bemoaning a song of sorrow”. By showing these different characters within the chorus, and linking to Hecuba’s own personality, the audience can see the wide variety of people affected by the war, further emphasising its futility. Greater sympathy is also created for Hecuba from the audience as they are able to understand more about her mixed emotions. Feeling this compassion increases the likelihood of them questioning the play’s themes within their own lives; particularly important in the social and political climate of the 21st century.
At the very start of the speech, I would want Hecuba to be sitting centre stage, cross-legged and holding her knees, looking down. Here, this would show the beginning of her emotional journey, starting very low, like her morale. Holding herself shows the need for security, and the desire “to be cradled”. When she says “Lift” for the final time in the opening line, I would want the actor playing Hecuba to look up, delivering the rest of the line directly to the audience. This builds an immediate connection between the audience and the character, evoking sympathy. This sympathy instigates the process of catharsis, defined by Baldock as “The cleansing of emotions through dramatic exposure”. Like Hecuba’s own emotional journey through this speech, the process of catharsis attempts to purify the audience of emotions such as pity and fear.
During her description of what she has lost: “Country, children, husband…family, generations, an entire race”, I would direct the actor to rise to her feet, emphasising this list, and therefore the extent of her loss. Her increase in physical movement would mirror the faster pace of the language, showing her increasing determinism. Although the language is full of despair, I would want to show the opposite, and that she is using this as a reason to fight back. This would link also to the idea that war is futile and achieves nothing, as it only provokes retaliation.
After this point however, there seems to be a dip in her passion, and an increase in her self-pity. Her language becomes more monosyllabic “Speak: but what can I say?”, and I would want her movement to echo this. The actor would drop to her knees again, and touch the floor on the line “This hard ground serves as my bed”. The audience by now have seen her capability to inspire and be strong, and so will now be frustrated by her despair. Provoking this frustration leads them to experience the emotions themselves, and therefore increases the likelihood of questioning within their own lives.
Hecuba changes again emotionally when recalling the events of the war “Oh that dreadful day”. I would want to portray a very instant change in her emotional state on the line “They came for that Spartan whore”. Immediately before the line was spoken, I would want to show the moment of realisation for Hecuba, and have her move her head directly out to the audience. After the line, I would direct a change in pace, for her to slowly, more calmly stand up, with a greater sense of control and power to deliver the line “For Helen, that loathsome wife”. This would show Helen’s importance to the play, and particularly to Hecuba. We would see the despair she feels at her loss, as well as the very real anger she feels towards Helen. Like so many wars, then and throughout history, it revolved around one individual, emphasising the senselessness of so many people joining one argument.
From the mention of Helen to “An old woman burdened with grief”, I would direct the actor playing Hecuba to walk slowly, but with purpose towards the audience, showing her change in energy, and resolute tone. Her character now seems far more strong-minded, and instead of ordering herself as she did earlier in the speech “Lift up your head”, she is now ordering the women of Troy: “Come. Come out.” She even addresses the audience “Pity me”, linking directly to their already developing process of catharsis. I would want the actor to use sharp, sudden and passionate hand gestures here, reaching out to the audience, particularly on the line: “But not! No!”, emphasising her anger. This is the climax of her emotional state, and a complete contrast to the Hecuba we see at the start. There is never a sense of learning though, or a sense of gain from her experience. Even when she is sitting or kneeling, I would never want to portray her as truly giving up, as her constant struggle shows the continuous circle of revenge, and lack of wisdom through experience.