This play is about a painter named Artemisia Gentileschi and the 1612 trial she went through regarding the rape that was done to her by Agostino Tassi in Rome.
I wanted to come to watch the show because this is a very serous issue that affects society and that exists particularity as it involves the two sexes of male and female. I think there was a beauty to it and that Artemisia has a subtle beauty.
She was a curvaceous Rubenesque woman and the kind of woman that you want to look at and watch for a long time because she appeared to me to be perfect not just physically but also in her virtues, and I have no doubt that Agostino thought that she too was a perfect woman.
There is a recurring issue of this type of rape being spoken about. It only happens mostly to those who are very physically attractive, because a person frustrated with not having any sex and thinking that they deserve to have sex with whomever they chose through force is deemed to them, maybe a minority, to be a perfectly justifiable thing to do, especially to someone who they could pleasure from looking at during the act.
Some men apparently think that it’s OK and sexy to force a woman to go to bed with them, and they are unable to control their strength and use it in the wrong way as they fantasise about pinning her down and making her an object for their own desire. They find it sexy to use sexual violence to have power, because they are physically stronger and so can force a female to make love to them without her consent very easily and cant be stopped by the female alone.
This is destructive to the male and female in question, so this issue needs to be portrayed in the very sensitive and careful way. It is destructive in my view, because it goes against the rules and norms of a proper relationship, and when I mention proper relationship I am referring to a healthy relationship that makes both parties at ease and robust and able to be the best version of themselves all the time. In this case the rape was, in my view, down to people who were very physically attractive, which also gives me the impression that this is all the media want to report about, beautiful attractive people involved in these crimes and not people who are less attractive. But that is not to say that this couldn’t happen to anyone.
I thought the actresses that portrayed the characters: Sophie Steer as Agostino Tassi, Kathryn Bond as Tuzia and Ellice Stevens as Artemisia Gentileschi, were confident, poised and inspiring. The main actress Ellice Stevens was particularly legendary, provcative and elegant and I think that they will all go on to have good careers and I wish them the very best.
I thought that this play was very thought-provoking. It reminded me of the many incidences I have come across in the newspaper and on the news and other media outlets about this sort of thing. I think personally that it is immoral and a crimincal offence and most of us share this view. Hopefully one day it will be a thing of the past and become extinct.
This post was written by Aishraat Shah
Photo: The Other Richard
We encourage anyone living or working in South Leeds to use this website to tell their news. You can either use the Create an article for South Leeds Life page, or email us at: info@southleedslife.com
