Greek Heroes in Popular Culture Through Time - for iPod/iPhone - podcast cover

Greek Heroes in Popular Culture Through Time - for iPod/iPhone

The Open Universitywww3.open.ac.uk
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.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Achilles

Achilles discusses how his sexuality has been perceived by Hollywood in and how everyone seems to just concentrate on his poorly heel!

Oct 10, 20114 min

Transcript -- Achilles

Transcript -- Achilles discusses how his sexuality has been perceived by Hollywood in and how everyone seems to just concentrate on his poorly heel!

Oct 10, 2011

Achilles discussion

The lowdown on what popular culture chooses to keep in its portrayals of the Greek hero Achilles … and what gets left out.

Oct 10, 201114 min

Transcript -- Achilles discussion

Transcript -- The lowdown on what popular culture chooses to keep in its portrayals of the Greek hero Achilles … and what gets left out.

Oct 10, 2011

Heracles

Heracles, the famous demi-god, drops by to assert what his macho image really means by talking us through clips of Arnie, Popeye, Steve Reeves and Kevin Sorbo.

Oct 10, 20113 min

Transcript -- Heracles

Transcript -- Heracles, the famous demi-god, drops by to assert what his macho image really means by talking us through clips of Arnie, Popeye, Steve Reeves and Kevin Sorbo.

Oct 10, 2011

Heracles discussion

The changing portrayals of Heracles: how the ancient Greeks’ bad boy turns to virtuous saviour by the C19th, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the C20th.

Oct 10, 201114 min

Transcript -- Heracles discussion

Transcript -- The changing portrayals of Heracles: how the ancient Greeks’ bad boy turns to virtuous saviour by the C19th, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the C20th.

Oct 10, 2011

Odysseus

Odysseus, famed for his 10 year journey home, joins us with his wife Penelope discussing how the legacy of his long voyage has been portrayed by the Coen Brothers, James Joyce, Tennyson and George Melies.

Oct 10, 20114 min

Transcript -- Odysseus

Transcript -- Odysseus, famed for his 10 year journey home, joins us with his wife Penelope discussing how the legacy of his long voyage has been portrayed by the Coen Brothers, James Joyce, Tennyson and George Melies.

Oct 10, 2011

Odysseus discussion

From personal odyssey to space odyssey, the myth of Odysseus keeps cropping up. What is it about this hero that makes him so pervasive?

Oct 10, 201115 min

Transcript -- Odysseus discussion

Transcript -- From personal odyssey to space odyssey, the myth of Odysseus keeps cropping up. What is it about this hero that makes him so pervasive?

Oct 10, 2011
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android