The love of the nightingale

In return for aid in war, King Pandion of Athens gives his daughter in marriage to Tereus, King of Thrace. But once in Thrace, Procne misses her sister Philomele and sets out to fetch her from Athens. On the way back Tereus deceives and seduces Philomele, silencing her by tearing out her tongue. Wertenbaker combines elements from Greek myth and the history and drama of classical Greece to make a play that is as original as it is modern. 'The Love of the Nightingale' was premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Other Place, Stratford upon Avon, in October 1988.