Talking about Homeric heroes in cinema

When Homer told his tale of the Trojan war, he brought to life the heroic figures of Hector, Achilles, Odysseus and many more. Then the story was passed down, first by word of mouth then by the words being set to paper for generations to read. Now Hollywood creates blockbusters to remind us of a time of heroes. This depiction of heroes in cinema is something that Dr Antonis Makrinos will talk about during his lecture in Nicosia on Thursday.

Makrinos, lecturer in Classical Literature at University College London, will give his lecture in Greek under the title The Homeric Heroes in Film: From Homer to Superman, at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Nicosia at 7pm.

The lecture will provide a general review of the history of Homeric epics in film, from when the heroes first showed up on screen until today. Makrinos will concentrate on specific heroes in specific films and talk about how they honour the Homeric code. This code states that honour is gained through engagement in life-threatening activities – this is how a hero remains a hero, there is no avoiding it. So, with this in mind, the lecturer will ask if the characters on film are developed in order to maintain this heroic stand, if the filmmakers reject this model or if they choose to mould the heroes to suit a different code.

Makrinos will also touch on how Homeric heroes can inspire the modern reader or viewer, and how this compares to the inspiration provided by contemporary superheroes like Superman and Spiderman.

This subject will be part of the educational programme that the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation is planning to create together with Summer School in Homer and the Classical Philology Department of University College London. There will be more information on that during the lecture.

Makrinos, from Chios, Greece, obtained his undergraduate degree in Classics at the Philosophy School at the University of Athens. He then studied at University College London with a private scholarship to complete his MA in Classics at the department of Greek and Latin. His PhD was also completed with a scholarship in the Classics and was on Eustathius’ Commentary on Homer’s Odyssey.

The Homeric Heroes in Film: From Homer to Superman
Lecture by Classic Literature lecturer Antonis Makrinos. April 20. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Nicosia. 7pm. Free. In Greek. Tel: 22 128157

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