by Wynne Chan, Dramaturg
Editor’s Note: This blog compares the modern characters in the play Anon(ymous) with their ancient counterpart in Homer’s Odyssey. The character names from Anon(ymous) are shown in red, and the character names from The Odyssey are shown in blue.
Origin of characters and their names
Anon: Odysseus
Odysseus is the protagonist of the Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Odysseus spent 10 years fighting a war in Troy and now embarks on a 10-year journey to return to his kingdom in Ithaca. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope (Note: In Anon(ymous), “Penny” is Anon’s mother). Odysseus is described as courageous, adaptable, and cunning. See themes for more information on Odysseus and his ties to Anon.
Nemasani: Penelope
In the Odyssey, Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and mother of their son, Telemachus. Odysseus had left for war in Troy 20 years prior to the start of The Odyssey. With Odysseus gone, suitors come to their palace for Penelope’s hand in marriage, hoping to claim the throne for themselves. Penelope makes an excuse to delay choosing a suitor by saying she will choose a husband after she finishes weaving a funeral shroud. Penelope weaves the shroud during the day and unravels it at night so that she can hold off the suitors. Penelope is described as loyal and true. In Anon(ymous), Nemasani works in a factory run by Mr. Makus, who seeks her hand and gives her the nickname “Penny”. She delays his pursuits with the same tactic – saying she will marry him after she finishes her shroud.
Mr. Yuri Makus: Eurymachus
Eurymachus is one of Penelope’s suitors. He is manipulative, deceitful, charismatic, and acts as a leader among the suitors. He was likely to win Penelope’s hand because her father and brothers support their union and because he gives more gifts than the other suitors. He eventually discovers Penelope’s plan from one of Penelope’s maids. Mr. Yuri Makus is the owner of the factory Nemasani worked in, and similarly, sought Nemasani’s hand.
Naja: Athena
Athena is the goddess of wisdom. Athena assists Odysseus throughout their journeys, and speaks up for them in the councils of the gods. She often appears in disguise throughout Odysseus’s journey to help him.
Calista: Calypso
Calypso is a nymph who falls in love with Odysseus when he lands on her island. Calypso imprisons him for seven years until the goddess Athena gets Hermes to come persuade Calypso to let Odysseus go.
Mrs. Helen Laius: Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy is the wife of Menelaus and queen of Sparta. In the Odyssey, she offers Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, assistance in his quest to find his father, Odysseus.
Senator Laius: Menelaus
Menelaus is the king of Sparta and husband of Helen, he helped lead the Greeks in the Trojan War. He offers Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, assistance in his quest to find Odysseus.
Pascal: Polites
One of Odysseus’s crew on the journey and a dear friend. Polites advises Odysseus on their journey.
Zyclos: The Cyclops Polyphemus
Polyphemus is a Cyclops, a one-eyed giant. Odysseus landed on Polyphemus’s island after leaving Troy. Polyphemus imprisoned Odysseus and his crew and tried to eat them. Odysseus came up with a plan to get him and his men out. He told Polyphemus his name is “Nobody” and blinds him. When calling for help, Polyphemus yelled “Nobody” hurt him, and therefore was unable to get help from other Cyclops. With his only eye blinded, Polyphemus was unable to find Odysseus and his men and they safely escaped by tying themselves to Polyphemus’s sheep.
Strygal: Laestrygonians
The Laestrygonians were a group of man-eating giants. They ate many of Odysseus’s men and destroyed eleven of his twelve ships during Odysseus’s journey. Odysseus’s ship was the only one that survived.
Serza: Circe
Circe is a beautiful witch-goddess. She lures others in with her singing, then uses drugs to transform them into animals and other creatures. She transforms Odysseus’s crew into pigs when he lands on her island. With Athena and Hermes’s help, Odysseus resists Circe’s powers and becomes her lover for a year, before Circe advises him to visit the underworld.
Nasreen, Ali, and Ritu: Nausicaa, Alcinous, and Arete
Nausicaa is the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of the Phaeacians. Nausicaa discovers Odysseus on the beach and takes him to her parents’ palace. At Alcinous and Arete’s palace, Odysseus tells the story of his journey, and they provide him safe passage back to Ithaca.
Unmapped characters:
- Belen
- Ignacio
Background on the playwrights: Iizuka and Homer
Naomi Iizuka
Naomi Iizuka is a Latina-Japanese-American playwright. She was born in Tokyo, and grew up in Japan, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United States. Her works often have a non-linear storyline and are influenced by her multicultural background. She is the author to 17 Reasons (Why); 36 Views; Polaroid Stories; Language of Angels; War of the Worlds; Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls; Tattoo Girl; and Skin. She is currently the Head of Graduate Playwriting at UCSD and earned her BA in Classical Literature at Yale University and MFA in Playwrighting at UC San Diego.
Homer
Homer was born sometime around 750 BC. He is the presumed author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, two epic poems that are considered the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. These poems were told orally in the Eighth Century B.C. before they were eventually written down.
There have been debates on whether a single person created The Iliad and The Odyssey. This led to The Homeric Question, which suggests that the poems may be compilations of stories by different authors.
About the author of this blog:
Wynne Chan (Dramaturg) is a Hong Kong-American singer, actor, and director. She is excited to make her dramaturgy debut with SBMT by telling this story about refugees and immigrants. Wynne’s past stage credits include work with The Playground Experiment, Berkeley Playhouse, Lyric Theatre, and Landmark Musical Theatre. She will be directing for Pear Theatre’s Fresh Baked Pears Theater Festival this month, and David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at Plethos Productions this fall.
Join SBMT for the show:
Anon(ymous) willl be presented one night only, on Friday, March 26 at 8 pm PDT. Tickets are complimentary (donations gratefully accepted) at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35458/production/1039676?performanceId=10642155
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