Experience the Iliad--as in the ancient world

Australian actor, playwright and director William Zappa was commissioned by ABC Radio drama to explore adapting Homer's Iliad as a radio play. When Radio drama ceased to exist, his passion for the work continued and he decided to keep on working on an adaptation of the Iliad that lends itself to performance. His adaptation focusses on bringing a poetic rhythm and an ‘Australian voice’ to this great story, honouring the classic and at the same time making it accessible to modern audiences.

Come and hear some samples of Zappa's work: Iliad, Book 1 (the great quarrel of Achilles and Agamemnon; the dispute [the first of several] between Zeus and Hera) as well as samples drawn from later books.

To give us some indication of how the poem may have sounded in Ancient Greek, Dr Avery Andrews will present a short recitation in the original language.

Hosted by the ANU Classical Society