This scene in the play abstractly represents the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy. The John F. Kennedy segment imitates the famous Zapruder film footage of the Kennedy motorcade and assassination-the governor and his wife are in the front seats of an imaginary car, while J.F.K. and his wife Jackie sit in the back(see pictures at right). In the Martin Luther King, Jr. segment, the assassination takes place while he delivers a portion of his "I Have a Dream" Speech. Robert Kennedy is shot down while interacting with an imaginary voter, imitating his actual death. The murders of the three political figures are fragmented, sharply choreographed, and without sound. The picture at right portrays the fragmentation of J.F.K.'s murder.

In order to draw subliminal ties from past myths to present reality, the movements and sounds in the assassination scenes connect to movements and sounds in other scenes of the play.

*Click on the above picture to view and hear the following stylistic elements, which will recur throughout the performance:

the gesture of outstretched arms and hands

exaggerated bodily movement

actors producing ambient sound, or distorting language.

Garden of Eden

This scene portrays the creation of Adam and Eve(see top picture ), the temptation of Eve by the Serpent(see bottom picture), and God's curse upon mankind after the temptation.

These segments reflect the origins of sin and guilt in contemporary society. Upon Eve's eating the apple, the company stops the play and hands out apples to the audience. By "sharing" the apples with Eve, the audience thus shares responsibility for original sin and for everything that has resulted from its legacy.

*Click on the above picture to view and hear the following stylistic elements in the Serpent's temptation of Eve:

the outstretched hands of the Serpent towards Eve, and Eve towards the Serpent

the ambient sounds in the Garden of Eden(water running, animal noises, the hissing of the Serpent)

the exaggerated bodily gestures of Eve and the Serpent

The First Murder

This scene portrays the first murder of Abel by Cain. Van Itallie illustrates that this first murder was especially violent because Cain did not know how to kill, and thus he attempted several methods to bring about Abel's death. These visceral images of violence contrast with the images of violence in the assassination scene: a lone assassin who stands detached from his violent action and its consequences.

*Note the following stylistic elements:

Abel's outstretched hand towards Cain in the first frame

The focus on exaggerated, forceful body movements

The placing of the cast behind the action, suggesting detachment from the violence occurring in front of them.

Modern Lamentations and Conclusion The scenes represented by the top picture are the lamentations of contemporary society. The women's dialogue suggests a detachment from others, from their own life choices, and from the inevitable destruction of a violent society.

The bottom picture is the concluding image of the play. The entire cast's formation of the Serpent suggests that the company has become both the tempter and the sinner. By becoming the Serpent, they accept responsibility for the guilt, sin and violence of the past; by extending their arms outward, they not only invite but also require the audience to do the same.