Tantalus, who angered Zeus by attempting to share the gods' immortal secrets with humans, never actually appears in the play "Tantalus." Rather, the spirit of Tantalus literally and symbolically hangs over the heads of the characters in the play. Nearly 20 years in the writing, "Tantalus" is a modern re-telling of a body of mythical tales about the Trojan War's beginnings, climax, and aftermath. "My intention," said playwright John Barton, "is not to rewrite the old masterpieces but to use the material as a metaphor for today." The stories that make up the saga of Troy and the house of Agamemnon, he points out are "not so far removed from the modern form we call a soap opera." "Tantalus" delves into pre-existing and well-known material in order to raise general, thematic questions: Who is to blame? What is the truth of it? How could it have been otherwise? Download "Creating Tantalus" by John Barton (.pdf) Read a synopsis of "Tantalus" The primary action of TANTALUS involves three families: the House of Tantalus, the Royal House of Troy, and the House of Peleus. The following is an introduction to some of those members of those families.