ECU Classics program presents ‘Odyssey Live’

The East Carolina University community has the chance to attend an epic event March 19 when volunteers read Homer’s “Odyssey,” unabridged, from beginning to end. 

“Odyssey LIVE!” begins at 8 a.m., at the Cupola in the center of the ECU campus. The all-day event is free and open to the public. Audiences are invited to come and go as they please

The “Odyssey” is one of two major ancient Greek poems attributed to Homer. Considered a sequel to the “Iliad,” the “Odyssey” comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter and centers on the Greek hero Odysseus – or Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths – and his long journey home following the fall of Troy.

For approximately 15 hours, audiences will hear the song of the Sirens, cower at the one-eyed Cyclops, travel to the underworld to meet Achilles, marvel at the crafty ploys of Penelope, listen to the tales of Helen of Troy and witness Odysseus take violent revenge on the 100 suitors who dared to vie for his wife’s hand.

Readers, who will present the “Odyssey” in English, include faculty members and students from ECU’s Classical Studies Program in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, with assistance from other ECU faculty members and student volunteers. 

“Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ was always performed orally in ancient Greece. We want to give our audience the chance to hear the epic, not just read it,” said John Given, director of the Classical Studies Program and coordinator of the event. “Plus, it’s just a great story – love, sex, violence, intrigue, monsters, gods – it’s got it all.”