After completing The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours, I came to appreciate the performance aspect of
The Iliad. In addition; I read Tobias Anthony Myers paper "Models of Reception in the Divine Audience
of the Iliad.” As a consequence,
I now envision "The Iliad"
as a Broadway show on the road.
Achilles is the
star of the production. Homer is the
lead writer, director and often the onstage narrator. The whole thing is produced by Zeus for the
amusement for his overly large extended family.
They occupy the private boxes high up in the theatre. Several of them have walk on parts. All of them constantly comment about the
action on stage, so loudly that we in the cheap seats far below can here.
The only people
in the theatre we don't hear are the general audience. But is that right? Admittedly, I am a Frankie Fan (Rocky Horror
Picture Show Fan)and that colors my opinion of how a live performance
works. But still what pop singer doesn't
ask the crowd to join in the chorus?
There are parts of the liturgy that my pastor doesn't have to actually
say because the rest of us unasked are saying in along with him. Who doesn't "hiss", "boo"
and go "Awe!" at a melodrama.
How hasn't watched a friend viewing their favorite film silently voicing
every moving line?
Did the crowd
sit quietly through the Catalogue or cheer for their home town? Aristotle says the audience wept, could they
have stopped themselves from lamenting?
Any chance they were Homer's chorus.
No comments:
Post a Comment