Yash Patel
Professor Luis Carazo – Section 25
Intro. to Acting
29 February 2016
Argonautika Performance Essay
Argonautika is a story that revolves around a hero’s (Jason’s) quest to be King, which
everyone already thinks he should be except his uncle who willfully took the throne that
belonged to Jason father. His uncle, current king, deceitfully tells him that the throne is his if he
can complete a quest while sailing across the seas. Helping Jason are some demi-gods like sons
of Zeus: Castor and Pollux, and Hercules. Watching over and guiding Jason and the crew of
Argonauts are Athena and Hera. Jason accomplishes what he set out for and along the way falls
in love with the daughter of King Aeetes, Medea, who helps him in defeating her father. The two
love each other, but when Jason’s quest is over and he goes to claim his throw he marries a
princess and forgets about Medea, enraging her. The story ends with the deaths of Medea and
Jason, as well as letting us know that Medea killed her and Jason’s two children.
I went into Argonautika without high expectations of the acting, but I must admit I was
impressed by the work of most of the actors. While all did well there were a couple of people
who weren’t as great as others. Two actors throughout the play that stood out to me the most for
their excellent acting were: Fernando Echeverria (Hercules and others) and Taylor Kim (Hera).
They really made me believe in their characters and I could easily piece together the given
circumstances for their roles. Echeverria was always key throughout the play being given the
role of Hercules. In any scene he was not afraid to hold back and it looked as if he wasn’t
Echeverria but the character himself. Taylor was a standout because of her elegance. It seemed
she really practiced and keyed in on her role, as an overseeing Hera. There were no hiccups in
her performance and her unspoken scenarios were really strong.
Echeverria’s Hercules had to be impulsive and rogue, and I think he portrayed the
character very well. Hercules was very loyal to his friends throughout the play and one his best
friend died he became a weak man. Echeverria captured every aspect of that loyalty by making
us believe that the characters on set were real friends for him and he would give up his life for
