CREEDE REPERTORY THEATRE Delve Deeper Study Guide An Iliad by Lisa Peterson & Denis O’Hare Directed by Betty Hart Against the backdrop of the epic San Juan Mountains, a lone figure emerges on a simple stage to tell his story. Fated to repeat the ancient tale of the Trojan War throughout the centuries, our storyteller finds poetry, humor, inspiration, and sadness in this 21st century retelling of Homer’s classic. Starring Lavour Addison
June 26 – Sept 3 in Seime Park Dramaturg: Courtney Cauthon Editor: Kate Berry creederep.org / 719-658-2540
About An Iliad
Playwright Denis O’Hare in the Arts Emerson production
The play, An Iliad, created by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, is an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Iliad. The project originated at the Seattle Repertory Theatre and was first produced in 2010. Peterson and O’Hare intentionally titled the play An Iliad to highlight the fact that this version is only one perspective. Not an exact adaptation of Homer’s text, An Iliad is told by a modern narrator, the Poet, who travels through time linking the ancient story he must tell to current events. The Iliad, along with the Odyssey, is an ancient Greek epic poem traditionally attributed to Homer and known to be among the oldest extant works of Western literature. Set during the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events that took place during the weeks of a disagreement between the Greek King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.
The Question of Homer Homer is often heralded as the greatest ancient Greek poet as his work has had an enormous influence on the evolution of literature, having written The Iliad and The Odyssey. When he lived is controversial and for modern scholars, “the date of Homer” refers not to an individual, but to the period when his epics were created. The consensus is that The Iliad and The Odyssey date from around the 8th century BCE (The Iliad being composed before The Odyssey, perhaps by some decades), although some scholars argue that the Homeric poems developed gradually over a long period of time. Homer’s poems are generally seen as the culmination of many generations of oral story-telling, in a tradition with a well-developed formulaic system of poetic composition. Some scholars, such as Martin West, claim that "Homer" is "not the name of a historical poet, but a fictitious or constructed name.”
The Judgement of Paris and The Trojan War How Did It Start?
The Judgment of Paris, Rubens, c. 1638 Mueso Del Prado
The Trojan War is incited at the marriage of Peleus and Thetis when Eris the goddess of discord, angered that she was not invited to the celebration, throws a golden apple into the proceedings as a prize for beauty. Three goddesses claim the apple and ask Zeus to judge which one of them is the fairest: Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. Reluctant to pass judgment himself Zeus declares that Paris, a Trojan mortal and Hector's brother, will be the judge. To win Paris' favor the goddesses tempt him with their powers: Hera offers to make him king of Europe and Asia; Athena offers wisdom and skill in war; and Aphrodite offers the world's most beautiful woman, Helen of Sparta, wife of the Greek king Menelaus. Paris accepts Aphrodite's gift and awards the apple to her. He elopes (or abducts?) Helen, his gift from Aphrodite. Menelaus, Helen’s husband, is persuaded by his brother Agamemnon to lead a voyage to retrieve Helen from Paris. Other Greek heroes, and fleets of over a thousand ships, join Agamemnon and Menelaus in their quest to return Helen. The siege lasts for more than 10 years and is punctuated by skirmishes and battles including the deaths of Hector and Achilles. It ends when the Greek armies withdraw from the camp, leaving behind a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. When night comes the horse is opened by the soldiers inside, the Greek warriors climb out and destroy Troy from within the city walls.
The Characters The Gods Zeus – King of the Greek gods and husband of Hera. Moves between supporting the Greeks and the Trojans. Hera – Goddess of women and fertility, wife (and sister) of Zeus. Hera is often jealous and vengeful of Zeus’s lovers. She was objectively the most beautiful and favors the Greeks due to being scorned by the Trojan prince Paris during the Judgement of Paris. Athena – Greek virgin goddess of the discipline and art of war, wisdom, and truth; patron goddess of Athens and supporter of the Greeks. She is thought to be the daughter of only Zeus, and to have sprung from his head full-grown and in full armor. Aphrodite – Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. She is also the unhappy and unfaithful wife of Hephaestus. She supports the Trojans because she was chosen by the Trojan prince Paris as the winner of the beauty contest during the famous Judgement of Paris. Apollo – God of the sun, medicine, archery, and the arts. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, Artemis. He supports the Trojans. Ares – Ruthless god of war/slaughter, courage, masculinity, and brother of Athena. Loves war itself and supports the Trojans. Hephaestus – God of smiths and metal working; husband of unfaithful Aphrodite. Son of Zeus and Hera. He was raised by Thetis (mother of Achilles), and he crafts Achilles’ brilliant armor. He supports the Greeks. Hermes – Described as a guide and giant-killer, son of Zeus. He is Zeus’ messenger–swift, shrewd, and cunning. Thetis – A sea goddess and the mother of Achilles. Zeus fell in love with her but could not marry her due to a prophecy.
The Greeks (Achaeans) Leadership Agamemnon – King of Mycenae, husband of Clytemnestra, brother to Menelaus, supreme commander of all Achaea’s armies. The conflict of The Iliad begins when he angers Achilles by taking Briseis, Achilles’ lover. Helen – The daughter of Zeus and the wife of Menelaus. The Trojan War begins when Paris abducts her from Sparta. Menelaus – King of Mycenian Sparta, husband of Helen (stolen by Paris of Troy). Brother of Agamemnon.
The Greek (Achaeans) Warriors Achilles – Son of Peleus and Thetis (remember the Judgement of Paris happen at their wedding), commander of the Myrmidons, Achaean allies. He is the champion of the Greeks, but his rage is the source of much of the conflict in The Iliad. Diomedes – King of Argos. One of the strongest fighters for Achaea. Great Ajax - Commander of the contingent from Salamis. A champion for the Achaean army second only to Achilles. Briseis – Captive and lover of Achilles. She is taken by Agamemnon, causing Achilles to fly into a rage. Patroclus – Achilles’s best friend; borrows Achilles’s armor to fight in the war. His death inspires Achilles to return to battle. Odysseus – King of Ithaca and protagonist of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Odysseus is known for his cunning; the Trojan Horse is his idea.
Trojans (Dardans) Priam and his Family Astyanax – Hector’s baby son, eventually killed at the hands of the Greeks. Andromache – Hector’s wife. She asks him not to return to war on his brief visit home. Hector – Priam’s oldest son, Paris’s brother and Troy’s supreme commander. He kills Patroclus which spurs Achilles to return to war. Cassandra – Daughter of Priam and prophetess. Hecuba – Priam’s wife and Hector’s mother. Priam King of Troy - father of Hector and Paris. He goes to Achilles himself to request the body of Hector. Paris – Son of Priam and younger brother of Hector; a coward. He kidnaps Helen after the wedding of Peleus and Thetis and begins the Trojan War.
Epic Poetry and the Tradition of Oral Storytelling
CRT’s Poet, Lavour Addison
Originating before the invention of writing, primary epics, such as those of Homer, were composed by bards who used complex rhetorical and metrical schemes by which they could memorize the epic as received in tradition and add to the epic in their performances. The oldest epic recognized is the Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2500– 1300 BCE) and the longest epic written is the ancient Indian Mahabharata (c. 3rd century BC—3rd century AD). Homer was a master of, and heir to, the tradition of oral epic poetry. As Robert Fagles outlines in his introduction to his translation of The Iliad, Homer created epithets that met the demands of the meter of Greek heroic poetry, the dactylic hexameter. These epithets give the improvising bard different ways of fitting the name of particular gods, heroes or objects into whatever section of the line is left after he has completed the first half. This system was refined over time by oral bards and that once whole lines were honed to perfection they became part of the repertoire. These passages give the oral signer time to concentrate on what is coming next. They also provide a place for the creative oral poet to elaborate his own phrases. In effect the ancient oral poet was an improviser, working along known lines, relying on a stock of formulaic phrases, lines and even whole scenes; but improvising as he or she goes. Every time he sings the poem it is different—the outline remains the same, but the text, the oral text is flexible—new every time it’s performed.
Post Show Questions: • • • •
Can you envision a world where war is obsolete? In what way do podcasts continue the oral tradition of storytelling? What role does storytelling have in our understanding of self and communal history? How do you like to tell a story?