The Classics Major's Lament

In honour of Classical parodies and the fact that this month marks the 20th anniversary of Les Misérables (how time flies! Seems like just yesterday they were broadcasting the 10th anniversary concert...), I thought I'd share with you all a little parody I wrote myself a couple years ago.

You see, it was the fourth semester in a row when I'd been assigned The Bacchae for class. Fortunately, it was with four different professors, so the discussion was interesting, but by that fourth time in two years--much as I love Euripides--I was ready for something else. Thus, I thought to myself that I'd use the time to write a parody to the tune of "On My Own" (from Les Miz) instead of actually reading it for the fourth time in as many semesters. Unfortunately, at the time I was writing the parody, I'd mixed up a couple verses of the song, but you, dear readers, will forgive me, I'm sure.

I call this "The Classics Major's Lament"

On my ass,
Pretending that I'm reading.
Yes, alas,
I'm wond'ring why I'm needing
To reread this play I see before me,
When upside down and backwards, I already know the story.

In the play,
The arrival of Dionysus.
Pentheus, the king, dislikes the thyrsus
The Maenads are dancing in the starlight,
And this I've read, until they're dead, s'mester after s'mester.

And I know it's already in my mind--
That Agave tears his head off in the end.
And although we know that she is blind
Still we say, heed Teiresias!

I love them, but everyday I'm learning--
All these years I've only been rereading
The same plays--Bacchae, 'Resteia, Medea...
Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus unending...

I love them, but when the play is over,
They're all dead and off to cross the river
Into Hades, and then to curse their fam'lies.
Their world is full of tragedy that we must read again!

I love them, I love them...
I love them, but only when it ends!

I'm actually rather fond of The Bacchae and the rest of Greek tragedy, so it's all in good fun. ;-) Curiously, most of the Classics courses I've been taking recently have *not* involved Greek tragedies. This makes me sad!

Anyway, for those of you wondering why there's been no Rome update this week--it's because the show is on hiatus until next week. The agony!! A warning, though, if you visit the official site, they give off a major spoiler in their short summary. It made me rather mad! But I guess those of you coming this way to read my Rome summaries/reviews don't mind the spoilers so much...