THE ILIAD, book 12 (Rapsody M)

On the 6th of January 2011, at the National Theatre in Athens-Greece, Ms Karambeti recited the 12th Book of the Iliad.

Was it because the actress has many friends, or because the Greeks need to regain a sense of identity and orientation in the context of their most recent humiliation brought by the financial crisis? Whatever the reason, the auditorium at the refurbished National Theatre was filled with people of all ages, while the actress received a standing ovation in the end of her solo.

To be honest, I would have expected either a man to recite the Iliad, or a woman who would make an effort at "singing" the words of Homer. The terrible deeds of war, the recount of the battle scene, glorious as well as horrific with blood and flesh, swords and spears, cracking bones and breaking skulls.
We have come a long way from the epic days of manhood proven at war, to the psychological problems of the soldiers returning from war.
Each war has its own existential aftermath and questions: some inspired sympathy for those returning from battle; some have inspired hatred for those who went to fight. The most recent wars, with their mercenaries or professional soldiers, have little to say to the people, outside the soldiers' families that is, in regard to sympathy. War has become an unreasonable deed, or tends to become such in the collective Western unconscious, and if there is any concern for those returning crashed from the war (more likely to be thought of as "invasion"), it refers more to the chemicals that may be used in battle and their side-effects on both soldiers and citizens, the soil and the food chain.

Homer, on a deeper layer, does not address such issues, but manages to find his way into today's audience, through his artistry and skill, through his call to glory and honour. The Iliad, is among other things, a manual for the righteous chief of state: in Book 12 in particular, Sarpedon, Hector and Ajax, all set the standards for the hegemon as someone who has to fight like the rest of the soldier, and be even braver and set the example for them. Shakespeare obviously benefited greatly from Homer, as his works, in the zeitgeist of the 16th century, included a vast commentary on a king's qualities in almost every play he wrote.

The recital lacked in originality, but was well delivered. Most annoyingly old-fashioned was the costume: white dress in "ancient style", which made Ms Karambeti appear like an oracle, a priestess or a ghost. Not to my taste I' m afraid.