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Synopsis
by Gerry O'Flaherty
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Larry O'Rourke's |
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Leopold
Bloom is a Jew who lives at No. 7 Eccles Street in Dublin's north
inner city. It is eight o'clock and he is preparing breakfast
for his wife, Molly, who is still in bed.
He
goes around the corner to buy a pork kidney for his own breakfast.
When he comes back he finds the post in the hall, a letter for
him and a card for Molly from their daughter Milly, who was fifteen
the previous day, and also a letter addressed in a bold hand to
'Mrs Marion Bloom'.
He
brings Molly her breakfast and is told that the letter is from
Boylan who is organising a concert tour in which Molly will be
one of the principal singers.
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Bloom
suspects that Boylan and Molly are about to start an affair. Boylan
is to call with the concert programme that afternoon, something
that will worry Bloom all day. Molly, who reads light erotic novels,
asks him to get her another book by Paul de Kock.
While
eating his breakfast Bloom reads Milly's letter and decides to
visit her in Mullingar, where she is working in a photographer's
shop. He goes to the lavatory and thinks about getting ready for
Paddy Dignam's funeral.
The
Homeric correspondence is with Odysseus/Bloom who has been held
captive by hislover Calypso/Molly until the gods order her to
release him.
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Joyce
spent some of the summer of 1900 in Mullingar.
His father was employed to organize the voting lists
in Mullingar and brought James and some of the other
children. Joyce worked the town into Ulysses as the
place where Milly Bloom has her apprenticeship
in Phil Shaw's photographic shop.
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Là
ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni
Words by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Music by WA Mozart
This duet from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni is one
of the main songs in Ulysses. It is mentioned or features
in seven episodes. It is one of the two songs Molly
is going to sing on the concert tour that Blazes Boylan
is organizing for her. Its theme of unfaithful love,
of betrayer and betrayed, is fundamental to Ulysses.
Listen >>
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Seaside
Girls
Words and music by Harry B Norris
Published in 1899 and sung by Vesta Tilley
it is one of the major musical motifs in Ulysses.
The first reference is in the Calypso episode when
Bloom is reading a letter from his daughter Milly.
It is associated with youth and sensuality, and, frequently
Blazes Boylan.
Listen >>
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