I chose the myth of Perseus and Medusa, because I have always been a fan of Greek myths. In addition, I visited Sicily last year, and Medusa’s head is on the crest of Sicily.
The key scene I chose was the scene where Perseus sneaks up on Medusa on a desert island where she is living with her two immortal gorgon sisters (Medusa is the only mortal one) and cuts off her head. Perseus needs Medusa’s head because the father of the girl he wanted to marry demanded it as part of his bride price, so Perseus is doing this task out of love. Medusa is viewed as a monster, because she turns men to stone and has snakes for hair. But she used to be a beautiful maiden before she was cursed to become a Gorgon. Perseus received assistance from the gods in this task, including a magic sword, a mirror-like shield, and a special bag to hold her head after he cuts it off. When it is time to do the deed, he sneaks up on Medusa while she is sleeping with her sister on a desert island and cuts off her head, using the mirror of the shield to look at her to ensure he doesn’t get turned to stone.
I am showing this scene from Medusa’s perspective, where an overpowered evil man (represented by Darth Vader) sneaks up on an innocent girl to cut off her head with a magic sword (a light saber) in the name of love. He only sees the snakes on the back of her head, and views her as a monster. But she still sees herself as a beautiful maiden forced into exile because she is viewed as a monster, innocently living on this island in the middle of nowhere, not harming anyone. The mirror is cracked because when Medusa no longer wants to look at herself in a mirror, doesn’t want to see the monster she has been turned into.
