Jephthes
24 March 2017
19:30
King’s College London Chapel, Strand WC2R 2LS
by george buchanan
12th Annual Medieval Latin Play
in the original Latin
Introduction
In 1540 or thereabouts, the Scottish humanist George Buchanan arrived in Bordeaux to
begin teaching at the Collège de Guyenne. The school’s statutes required (as was
increasingly common in Europe at the time) the production of a regular Latin play to be
performed by the students. Buchanan, it seems, was given the responsibility for this
considerable undertaking. As a young boy, the philosopher Michel de Montaigne was cast
in the Collège’s Latin plays. He was to remember this fondly: ‘I have under-gone and
represented the chiefest parts in the Latin Tragedies of Buchanan … It is an exercise I
rather commend than disallow in young gentlemen’.
During his time in Bordeaux, Buchanan wrote four Latin plays. Two were translations of
Greek tragedies – Euripides’ Medea and Alcestis (1544 and 1556, respectively). The other
two took their stories from the Bible: Baptistes (on St John the Baptist, not published until
1577) and Jephthes (1554). The story of Jephthah is only briefly sketched out in the Old
Testament book of Judges (11.30-39). A great warrior but an exile, Jephthah is summoned
to help the Israelites defeat the Ammonites. In his eagerness to secure a victory, he makes
a vow to God that, should he prevail, he will sacrifice the first thing he sees when he
returns home. God grants him victory but, upon his return, it is his only daughter who
comes to meet him. He does not break his vow.
Structuring his play with Greek and Roman models in mind (most obviously through the
incorporation of choral odes), Buchanan expands the biblical story considerably. He gives
a name to Jephthah’s daughter, Iphis, evoking the apposite, though pagan, myth of
Agammenon, the great Greek general, who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia in order to
gain good winds for the voyage to Troy. Buchanan further introduces the figure of Iphis’
mother, Storgē, her very name (storgē being the Greek word for love between a parent
and child) marking her out as a counterbalance to Jephthah’s denial of parental duty, and
single-minded adherence to his (im)pious vow.
Buchanan also, significantly, played with the timing of the oath. In Judges, Jephthah swears
his oath before conquering the Ammonites. In Jephthes, we see him repeat this terrible
oath after his victory and return, at the moment of utmost achievement, in an almost
hubristic display of piety. From such a high point, he is brought low throughout the play –
an Aristotelian peripeteia (‘reversal of fortune’) if ever there was one.
Part of what made this play by far the most popular of Buchanan’s dramatic works (it was
published well over 40 times by 1716) was its skillful discussion of ‘the vow’ – a matter of
some import in the religious upheavals of Reformation Europe, particularly with reference
to the vow of chastity taken by ministers of the Catholic church. In a central scene
between the priest and Jephthah, the rectitude of an ill-conceived vow, and how binding it
might be considered, is explored – but Buchanan resists providing the audience with a
definitive ‘moral’.
The pedagogical purpose of instituting Latin drama in schools and universities was, to be
sure, to inspire greater understanding of the Latin language and its use for rhetorical
purposes. And yet the unique power of drama to rouse the intellect to thoughtful,
balanced consideration of moral and political questions was also key for educators at this
time. Buchanan’s open exploration of a crucial question, along with his acute sense of the
tragic in this play, is what made it popular with a range of religious reformers, and what
makes it so worthy of re-performance to this day.
Dr Lucy Jackson (Classics, KCL)
Cast
In order of appearance:
Leiyun Ni - Angel/Chorus
Astrid Khoo - Storgē
Alyse Cooke - Iphis
Harry Tanner - Jephthah
Phoebe Mak - Priest
Creatives
Directors: Abi Standing & Ella Gamble
Assistant Director: Kelly Wilson
Programme and Poster Design: Anais Waag
Organ: Toni Fernandez
Directors’ Note
We were astounded by the practical mastery of Latin which the full company
demonstrated when we first entered rehearsals. Their commitment to the study of
such a complicated language is an inspiration. But it was the engagement, trust and
bravery towards the work that each member has exhibited during rehearsals, which
has really made this process so special. I hope you enjoy our final product as much as
we have enjoyed making it.
With Thanks to...
Rev. Tim Ditchfield, Natalie Frangos, Claudia Mazzoncini, Andrew Visnevski, Jon
Wilson, and Abigail Woods. And many thanks to Daniel Hadas for organising the
event and his continued support throughout
Special thanks to King’s College London Chaplaincy for
use of the Chapel