When the Fates Decree: "There's a Destiny That Shapes Our Ends" (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

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Excerpt from When the Fates Decree: "There's a Destiny That Shapes Our Ends"

It is admittedly difficult to convince the average boy and girl, upon completing the Fourth book of the Aeneid, that Aeneas was justified in forsaking Dido. Modern sentiment is clearly against the hero. Indeed, certain critics are inclined to regard his action in this one respect as that of a poltroon. Such readers apparently miss the dominant note of the Aeneid - Fate, though the word itself occurs over forty times in the first three books. The present play is important in that it serves to convey the Vergilian point of view with regard to the heroic qualities of Aeneas, the Man of Destiny, who must forsake the attractions of Dido's court and the blandishments of the enamoured queen, in order to fulfill his mission and found a new kingdom on the shores of distant Lavinium.

"When the Fates Decree" was written by a high school student. While the play possesses a few minor defects, it is remarkable for its clever conception and climax, its grasp of mythological detail, together with the uniform excellence of its diction. It was first presented with great success on the occasion of the annual Class Night exercises of the Peabody High School, Pittsburgh, Pa., June 18, 1914. The accompanying stage sketch was used in the initial performance and is intended for an elaborate presentation of the play. The costumes for the principal speaking characters should be secured through a professional costumer and care used in the selection so that no inconsistencies may arise. To be exact: the costumes worn by the chorus of twenty (or more) students should likewise be Greek, although togas may be made very cheaply and readily and the apparent inconsistency overlooked. The music for the several chants and choruses may be adapted from Gluck's Orpheus, the spirit of which is splendidly adapted to the choral passages of the present play. The action requires less than an hour and no change of scenery or costume is needed.

The first (limited) edition was exhausted early and the present edition has been issued in response to a demand for a reprint, together with suggestive supplementary pages dealing with staging and scenery. No fundamental changes, however, have been made in the text; it remains in every respect a classical play written by a student for students.

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