Women in classical literature are oppressed by male hero figures, said actress Irene Worth in an appearance at Adams House last night.

Worth, who won a Tony Award for her performance in Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, spoke about "the price heroines pay for these heroes."

The actress said that since she did not know how to address students, she decided instead to do what she is best at--perform. Worth read monologues and dialogues from classical literature to illustrate her point.

But she did preface her interpretations with a caveat.

'Challenge'

"I'm making this a little bit of a challenge," she said. "I'm not going to lecture. I'm just going to throw out ideas."

Worth then launched into an hour-long performance of works featuring oppressed women.

Worth performed excerpts from plays such as Agamemnon, Promethius, Hamlet and Othello. She also commented on Greek literature, Shakespeare and her personal experiences in acting.

During the session, the actress depicted the women characters' anguish with animated gestures and heightened emotions.

The audience of approximately 75 applauded for a full minute after Worth's rendition of Io, who was raped in a pasture by Zeus.

Members of the audience praised Worth's performance.

"She's wonderful," said Danielle E. Kwatinetz '95. "She was very accessible to the audience by acting and not lecturing from a distance."