Actaeon2.0005

Actaeon2.0005_Moira

View Moira's film by clicking image above or YouTube link upper left.

The classic first phase of the Actaeon myth, as told by Ovid Met. 3.138 ff. Actaeon views Diana and her nymphs while bathing. Actaeon’s treatment for this error, according to Ovid, set off a debate among the gods: Was the chaste goddess justified in her response to Actaeon’s ‘crime’? The Olympians still, says Ovid, debate from time to time whether or not Diana's punishment of Actaeon was just. Of course, if he PURPOSEFULLY spied upon her at the bath, then his guilt is greater and the gruesome penalty more justified. But, if he stumbled into the violation accidentally, then perhaps her retaliation is utterly out of line. This critical question plays into every useful adaptation of the Actaeon myth. — Consider Actaeon2.0002_Gerome. For Titian's painting, which features in the film, click here: Actaeon1.0034_Titian. —— The British National Gallery celebrated its ownership of Titian's "Actaeon and Diana" during 2012 Olympics by commissioning Moira's film for an exhibition. That celebration is a narrative gain for the film; but Moira's narrative gain comes in using the myth to explore questions about moral culpability in Actaeon's actions, questions about one's right to gaze.