The Mysteries

In these days, to read or see a work animated by the classical grandeur of Plutarch’s Life of Solon is an inspiration. An important and timeless story, The Mysteries is a work of courage and beauty. To say that The Mysteries is merely a tour de force of writerly craft would be to underestimate Bill Considine's powers as a poet. I say this because Considine works impressively, even expertly, on the level of ideas. In his stunning verse play, the nuances of technique—metaphor, juxtaposition, enjambment, caesura, silence—are placed in the service of urgent philosophical and sociohistorical questions. Here is a dialogue between history and modernity that is as timeless as it is timely, as haunting as it is faultlessly crafted. William Considine’s poetry is a treat to connoisseurs of both lyric and dramatic verse. His poetic play The Mysteries echoes classical tradition with a newly explored story. The epic range and beauty of this poetic text draws the reader into Considine’s vision of the world as it has been throughout history. Playwright William Considine brings earliest history vividly to life in his verse play The Mysteries.