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Set in an extravagant bathing chamber, two servants, Aci and Galatea, prepare for the arrival of the powerful and entitled lord Polifemo (the intimidating Cyclops) as they scrub the tiled floor and fill his bath. The powerless Galatea is traumatized by Polifemo’s overtly sexual aggression as he bathes him. Galatea escapes Polifemo’s clutches, taking his place in the tub and slits his wrists, slowly dying throughout the remainder of the piece. Polifemo confronts Aci, who asserts herself as the scene descends into bleak violence culminating in her murder. With the two servants dead at his feet, Polifemo is tormented by Ovid’s poignant image of Aci’s blood transformed into a river which flows into the sea, the two lovers eternally united against patriarchal tyranny.
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