“Why Homer’s Iliad is so Popular Today”.

Last week, the Upper Sixth Classics pupils attended a talk on Homer’s Iliad by Professor Edith Hall. It was so lovely and fortunate that they were able to stream something we could enjoy while being online at home. Since we are currently studying the Iliad, the talk was such a valuable experience as it gave us new ways to reflect on it and some useful context.

Professor Hall began explaining that elements such as the Iliad’s historical and political context, it’s transactional themes and the striking similarities compared with our society, play a huge part in why it is so popular nowadays.

The talk was focused on modern adaptations of the Iliad, to show the different ways in which the book has been interpreted to suit a larger range of audiences, including mediums such as comic books, computer games and films, such as “Troy” by Wolfgang Peterson. It was interesting to find out that Wolfgang Peterson filmed it while the war with Iraq was happening in America and he stated that he could not believe even 3000 years later people still used deceit to cause wars, which highlighted the societal similarities we have.

What interested me most was when Professor Hall talked about recent adaptations done with a more feminist approach, such as “The Silence of the Girls” by Pat Baker that focuses on the character Briseis and "A Thousand Ships” by Natalie Haynes which describes multiple women’s lives that were affected by the war. This showed that not only did women suffer so much in many aspects of life in this era but also highlighted the lack of attention they got in literature too, seeming almost forgotten despite the significant roles they had.

The talk made me realise how important it is that different elements in the Iliad are being explored and that many translations of are being made even to this day, as it means that there is still a great interest and appreciation of Classical studies even thousands of years later.

Ms McNee, Head of Classics