Bringing Assyria to the Stage
The lives of the last kings of Assyria are full of drama. They have all the ingredients of classical tragedy or a bingeable TV series, introducing key episodes in the history of the Middle East. Civil war, conspiracy, and personal crises all feature, as kings, advisors, and family all try to survive and come out on top.
As a writer and an Assyriologist, I pieced together these stories from the fragmentary historical sources, and wrote a trilogy of plays about Assyria’s most notorious family. Quotations from original texts are woven into the script, meaning that characters often speak in their own words. The result is an immersive recreation of the Assyrian court where the audience can witness history unfolding in stories that have never been told before.
The plays are written in reverse chronological order, travelling back through time, and form a cycle with history repeating itself, as sons rebel against fathers but end up repeating their grandfathers’ mistakes.
Looking ahead
​I am looking for theatre professionals to collaborate on staging further productions. Please contact me on lsw14[at]Leicester.ac.uk
Fragment of plaque representing Esarhaddon and his mother Naqia (AO 20185)
Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria
“The eclipse is coming. One of us must die.”
Something is rotten in Ashurbanipal’s court. A civil war rages: brother against brother, Assyria against Babylon. The king’s ministers plot to control his decisions, while the royal family unravels from the inside. Who will emerge from the chaos to control the greatest empire the region has ever known? And can we ever know the full story?
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Enter a world where it is up to you to piece together the truth from the fragments. Walk the corridors of power at the heart of an empire which stretched from Egypt to Iran. Decipher the true meanings of omens which will shape the fate of thousands. Be the eyes and ears of the king’s spymaster. Choose whose truth you believe, but beware - in the polarised world of Assyria’s court, you may not be in command of all the facts.
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This play was staged by Cathrasis, a theatre company specialising in producing new versions of ancient Greek drama and groundbreaking new work. To find out more about the production, please visit: https://www.catharsistheatre.com/ashurbanipal
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It was also staged as a student-run production at the University of Oxford, drawing inspiration from Japanese Noh theatre and accompanied by an original heavy metal soundtrack. To find more about this production, please visit: http://ashurbanipal.co.uk/.
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ASHURBANIPAL
I have shown kindness to him in the past
But to no profit. This is the man I
Treated well, I set him up as king
of Babylon, every imaginable
thing that kingship calls for I gave him.
(...) But he
forgot this favour I had shown him
and plotted evil. Outwardly his lips
spoke good words while inwardly his heart
was designing murder. (...)
He has forfeited any chance of mercy.
The only kindness I will do him now
Is to send him a swift death.
Ashurbanipal: the Last King of Assyria Act II Scene 6
Esarhaddon: The Substitute King
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The story of a man battling ill health and widespread conspiracy as his empire steadily descends into turmoil, Esarhaddon: The Substitute King draws us into the superstitious and ritualistic world of ancient Assyrian court life. Following the royal exorcist as he enters this strange, new world we meet a variety of colourful characters including a cynical doctor disillusioned with life at court, a concerned astrologer who tries to keep the peace and a mother willing to go to extraordinary lengths to keep her son on the throne.
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This play has been staged as a student-run production at the University of Oxford. To find out more, please visit: :https://esarhaddonoxford.wordpress.com/
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NAQIA​
He must devote his mind to this revolt,
not to his illness. Endless reflection
on his suffering does not make him well.
For if he stares forever into water,
watching swirls of oil in hope of answers,
the more disturbed the image will become.
Far more important that he shows his strength.
If he can crush this, they will say no more
about the illness. They will not dare.
He will have proved it does not alter his ability to rule.
Esarhaddon:The Substitute King Act II, Scene 3
Sennacherib: The Haunted King
Eight years after the death of his first-born son, Sennacherib still has not chosen an heir. The old king is consumed by grief, but the court is nervous, his living sons restless, and the fate of the empire hangs in the balance. Whatever his choice, there will be consequences - how far will the three brothers go in the fight to secure their position?
SENNACHERIB
One day I too will go to my fate.
I must choose one to carry on my rule.
But how can I choose between such sons?
How can I choose between the insolent,
the laggard, and the frail?
I cannot give Assyria a worthless king. I cannot
destroy what I have created.
Sennacherib: The Haunted King Act I Scene 4