The Gift of the Gorgon

This play is climactic, melodramatic and extreme. It is quite like an ongoing debate between revenge, the view adopted by the ancient Greeks, and forgiveness, the modern, more civilised way of thinking. The Gift of the Gorgon's storyline revolves around a contemporary playwright, Edward Damson, and his wife, Helen. Their unwavering, fierce beliefs in each of vengeance and forgiveness respectively are the root of the conflict... Read Full Review

I saw this play many years ago when it first opened in London & was completely blown away by it (didn't hurt to have 2 fabulous actors playing the leads - Judi Dench for one). I subsequently bought the book & it reads just as well. I am only sorry that because of difficulties with Actors equity it hasn't yet been performed in New York. The themes of love and revenge are dealt with in ways both tender and terrible. It... Read Full Review

During the last two years I have been reading several of Peter Shaffer's plays - and I find all of them except "Shrivings" brilliant. "The Gift of the Gorgon" is a typical Shaffer work because it is a quite audacious literary and theatrical experiment; different characters from different historical epochs act simultanously on the stage - and to stunning effect. The theme Shaffer wants to discuss in his poetically exquisite... Read Full Review