Byre World 24/25: The Seven Sages of Scotland Hosted by Dr Jane Bonsall, from the School of Modern Languages
What might we learn from medieval narratives about violence, gender, and truth-telling? This adaptation of the 15th-century Older Scots story collection The Seven Sages of Rome investigates the cultural scripts that shaped medieval ideas of gendered power and public accusations, and their striking resemblance to our contemporary conversations. Originally performed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in July 2023, this second performance of The Seven Sages of Scotland brings together performers and poets working in modern Scots, retelling and responding to the original medieval frame narrative — a storytelling competition used to adjudicate a case of gender-based violence — and the inset tales, which serve as moral ‘evidence' in the case. In a range of voices, styles, and adaptive practices, the performers demonstrate both the differences and the resonances between medieval and modern attitudes about gendered stereotypes and public perceptions of truth, and the power of pre-modern narratives to hold a mirror up to our biases and preconceptions.
Contains discussion of sensitive content, such as sexual assault, gender based and transphobic violence.