During the French Revolution, Jacques-Louis David painted The Intervention of the Sabine Women, depicting the final fight scene from the ancient Roman story of the Sabine women. Over 200 years later, in 2006, Eve Sussman directed The Rape of the Sabine Women, a contemporary retelling of the same myth, set in 1960s Europe. The story of the Sabine women, like all other historical tales in Livy’s Stories of Rome, was originally passed down through oral tradition. Livy tells the story of Rome’s establishment by a group of male shepherds, their need for women, the staging of a faux festival to attract neighboring townspeople, the rape of the Sabine women, the fight between Sabine and Rome, and the intervention of the Sabine women during battle. Although the word “rape” may be in reference to “kidnapping,” it can be assumed that rape occurred after the initial abduction.

David’s painting more closely adheres to the original story, emphasizing a woman’s role in creating and maintaining family, while Sussman’s film deviates from both the original myth and David’s painting, calling into question the morality of the story. Despite being produced at different times and in different mediums, David and Sussman both use women and children to either celebrate or criticize the Roman story.

David and Sussman

David’s 1977 painting depicts the intervention of the Sabine women in the final battle, demanding peace between their fathers and husbands. The viewer’s eye is immediately drawn to Hersilia, standing front and center, dressed in white. Her arms stretch out to stop the fighting of her husband Romulus on the right, and her father, king of Sabines, on the left. At Hersilia’s feet, women are shown in various helpless positions wearing distraught expressions. Despite not appearing in the original story, David chose to incorporate young children in the battle scene. Scattered throughout the painting, the children are cradled protectively or closely watched by the women as they play in the foreground.

In Sussman’s adaptation of the myth, the Roman men are portrayed as government officials, and the Sabine women as daughters of butchers. Although the purpose of her film is to criticize the idealization of a perfect modernist utopia, Sussman chose to keep many key elements of the myth the same; the initial lack of women, the planned abduction, and the fight scene.

In Sussman’s battle scene, looking past the chaotic blend of people, colors, and faces, it is surprising to see only government men and women. She replaced the battle scene with a fight where the “women intervene, ineffectually, in an attempt to stop a…battle among the men.” It makes sense that Sussman also included children in the battle since she loosely based that scene off of David’s painting. Although subtle, on the left side of the frame you can see a woman in pink carrying a young boy amidst the fray.

A Woman’s Place: In the House or on the Battlefield?

David’s depiction of the intervention highlights the role of women in society. Hersilia’s strength directly contrasts the protective positions of the other women, emphasizing that a woman’s job is to be both the delicate creator and fierce protector of family no matter the cost. Sussman’s film opposes this idea as the unsuccessful actions of the wives hint at a lack of loyalty or true motivation to save their husbands. This can be viewed as a criticism of the original myth that allows the abduction of women to lead to a happily ever after ending. Because the government men and their abducted trophy wives are used as a representation of a perfect utopia, this failed intervention also depicts the breakdown of modernist utopia that Sussman criticizes so strongly.

Bring Your Child to Battle Day

In David’s painting, the protective stances of women over the children portray feelings of compassion and motherly affection. Additionally, because we know that the Sabine women successfully stop the battle, the children also serve as a sign that Rome met its original goal of preventing the extinction of their society. In contrast, Sussmnan’s film deviates from the original myth by telling a story where, despite the bonding presence of children, the society still descends into chaos. Sussman’s film, unlike David’s painting, does not draw heavily upon maternal feelings of protection, demonstrating that a woman’s role extends beyond the creation and protection of children and family.

Outside the Expected

In Eliza Ge’s “The Black Odyssey, a Modern Mythology?”, Ge analyzes Romare Bearden’s collages titled Circe’s Domain, based on Homer’s Odyssey. Similar to Sussman, Bearden chose to retell an ancient story outside of its original setting and context. Bearden’s collages portray Homer’s characters as being black, effectively intertwining African-American culture with ancient mythology. Ge argues that by making the familiar strange, the audience can more easily reach the heart of the original text. The same can be said about Sussman’s film; her departure from the original setting allows the audience to more easily project themselves onto the characters and point out the immoral actions of the abductors. Through the unexpected presentation, the audience learns the story of untold people and are able to confront implicit biases of race in Bearden’s work, and feminism in Sussman’s.

Despite living in different historical contexts, David, Sussman, and Bearden all chose to retell an ancient story, allowing personal agendas to guide their adaptation to either celebrate the original story or to push beyond the superficial narrative.

*I would like to give special thanks to Eve Sussman for sending me clips of her film, The Rape of the Sabine Women, and for allowing me to include stills from her movie*

Willow Goff (Author)

Hello, I am a sophomore at Colgate University with an intended major of Molecular Biology and minor in Chemistry. Outside of the sciences, I also enjoy the arts and enjoy community service. I hope to blend my interests to promote self-growth throughout my liberal arts education.