The archetypal sporting event comes to UK shores in 2012, a modern interpretation of an ancient celebration and festival – the Olympics.
What of other ancient Greek archetypes? Have they influenced the modern world as well? We all know about politics and democracy (both Greek words in origin), but what about popular culture?
What does ‘2001: a Space Odyssey’ have to do with Odysseus? How does Brad Pitt’s Achilles in ‘Troy’ match up to Homer’s original hero? And is Arnold Schwarzenegger the new Heracles?
This collection of video animations and audio discussions examines how the heroes of Greek mythology have been represented in popular culture, from ancient times to the modern day. Odysseus is the archetypal questing hero – a blank canvas on which every era has projected its own values. Heracles is the original strongman. And Achilles is the fighter whose sexuality vies with his heel for popular attention. The videos mix archive film and TV clips with character animation, bringing a playful approach to classical myth, while the audio discussions shine a more scholarly light on how today’s popular culture sees these myths differently from the Ancient Greeks.
Watch them on iTunes here or via OpenLearn here.
Find out more about the ancient world at the Open University here.