Hey there, scholars! Excited for the day off on Monday? Here are this week’s links to get you geared up for the long weekend!
- This Monday marked the beginning of Passover, a holiday that commemorates events we may recognize from the Book of Exodus, that is, the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
- Further along in history, another holiday is observed today: Good Friday, the day which many Christians consider to be the date of Christ’s crucifixion and death. Read about the Crucifixion in the Gospel of Matthew here.
- BBC One and Netflix present Troy: Fall of a City, a drama in eight parts starring Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas of Harry Potter fame) as Aeneas. Written by David Farr, it is in production at the moment in South Africa.
- A new version of Medea, featuring an all-female cast, is set to take Bristol, England, by storm this May. Written by Chino Odimba and directed by George Mann, the production is said to blend the ancient world with contemporary instances of female injustices. Bristol Old Vic, May 5-27.
(Via Broadway World)
- In her recently published novel In the Name of the Family, Sarah Dunant enters the world of 15th-century Italy to explore the lives of the Borgia family–and that of Niccolo Machiavelli. However, as New York Times writer Jay Parini mourns, the focus remains tightly focused on the infamous family rather than our friend Niccolo.
- Turns out the Dante’s bones have taken quite a journey, judging by the number of times they have been moved over the centuries. He also apparently had a huge head, which inspired this magnificent quotation from 19th-centurypathologist Professor Giovanni Puglioli:“[T]he skull of superior men is commonly bigger and more beautiful that that of men with mediocre intelligence.”
The cenotaph of Dante, located in Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, by Giacomo Brogi. (Public Domain)
There you have it! We hope your weekend is full of fun and pastel-colored bunnies.
