The Hungry Woman

Aztlán is one of several new nations that are formed along cultural and ethnic lines in the post-revolutionary world. To what extent does the play use Aztlán as an example of a failed revolution? What cultural and political forces undermine the revolution’s utopian goals?

To what extent do the characters’ failures to understand each other’s sexual orientations drive the narrative forward? What does the play suggest about the malleability of sexuality and gender?

Medea is a revolutionary who feels betrayed by her own revolution. Why does this fear of betrayal become such a pronounced part of her life?

How does The Hungry Woman investigate the idea of queer identity in the context of political revolution? How does queerness pose a threat to the patriarchal power structures of Aztlán? How is its revolutionary potential explored in the play?

How does the play use allusions to older narratives—including Euripides’s Medea—to explore the generational effects of patriarchal violence?

Medea’s appearances in Phoenix and the psychiatric ward take place at different times. How does the play use a nonlinear narrative to create juxtaposition between past and present?

Luna helps Chac-Mool to plant corn that neither of them will ever harvest. To what extent does this imbue the cornfields with tragic symbolism? What else does corn symbolize in the play?

One of the many folk stories, myths, and beliefs addressed by the play is that of La Llorona. How does the play compare Medea to La Llorona?