Epic Heroes on Screen

Edited by Antony Augoustakis, Stacie Raucci

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Representations of the ancient hero in the new millennium

Since 2000, numerous heroes of the ancient world have appeared on film and TV, from the mythical Hercules to leaders of the Greek and Roman worlds. Films and shows discussed in this volume range from Hercules and The Legend of Hercules to TV shows, Atlantis and Supernatural, to other biopic works influenced by the ancient hero.

This is the first collection to look at the most recent manifestations of the ancient hero on screen. It brings together a range of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of heroes and antiheroes from the ancient world.

Includes a range of TV shows and films, allowing for comparative analysis, examining the overlooked links between various productions
Provides original, cutting edge research in the fields of history, politics, gender, film and fan culture
Covers topics including society, politics, generational issues, gender, fan reception and star texts
Also considers the creation of antiheroes in the twenty-first century

The full list of contributors to the volume is:

Alastair J. L. Blanshard is the Paul Eliadis Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Angeline Chiu is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Vermont, USA.

Daniel Curley is Associate Professor of Classics at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, USA.

Monica S. Cyrino is Professor of Classics at the University of New Mexico, USA.

Hunter H. Gardner is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of South Carolina, USA.

Lloyd Llewelyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University in Wales, UK.

Alex McAuley is Lecturer in Hellenistic History at Cardiff University in Wales, UK.

Amanda Potter is a Research Fellow at the Open University, UK.

Meredith E. Safran is an Assistant Professor of Classics at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, USA.

Jon Solomon is Robert D. Novak Professor of Western Civilization and Culture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Emma Stafford is Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Leeds, UK.

Anise K. Strong is Associate Professor of History at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA.

Vincent Tomasso is an Assistant Professor of Classics at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, USA.

Margaret M. Toscano is Associate Professor of Classics and Comparative Studies at the University of Utah, USA.

Series Editors’ Preface

Editors’ Acknowledgments

Contributors

List of Illustrations

Introduction: The Reinvention of the Ancient Hero, Antony Augoustakis and Stacie Raucci

Part I: Hercules

1. Hercules and the Millennial Generation, Jon Solomon

2. Hercules – The Mythopoetics of New Heroism, Alastair J. L. Blanshard

3. Hercules, Putin, and the Heroic Body on Screen in 2014, Emma Stafford

4. Heroes and Companions in Hercules (2014), Angeline Chiu

5. Sacrifice and Salvific Heroism in Supernatural (2005-), Meredith E. Safran

Part II: Epic Heroes

6. Russell Crowe and Maximal Projections in Noah (2014), Monica S. Cyrino

7. The Immortality of Theseus and his Myth, Margaret Toscano

8. The Changing Faces of Heroism in Atlantis (2013-15), Amanda Potter

9. Xena: Warrior, Heroine, Tramp, Anise K. Strong

10. Divergent Heroism in Centurion (2010), Hunter H. Gardner

Part III: Antiheroes

11. The Hero in a Thousand Pieces: Antiheroes in Recent Epic Cinema, Daniel Curley

12. Trouble in the Tehran Multiplex: Xerxes, 300 and 300 Rise of an Empire in Iran, Lloyd Llewellyn Jones

13. Ancient (Anti)Heroes on Screen and Ancient Greece Post-9/11, Vincent Tomasso

14. Making Modern (Anti)Heroes, the Ancient Way, Alex McAuley

About the Author

Antony Augoustakis is Professor of Classics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. His research focuses on Imperial Latin literature of the first century CE, especially the role of gender and the representation of death and ritual in epic poetry. He has also published several book chapters on the representation of classical antiquity on film and television. He is the editor of Classical Journal.

Stacie Raucci is Associate Professor of Classics at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Her academic research focuses on Roman elegy, Roman topography, and the reception of the ancient world in popular culture. She is the author of Elegiac Eyes: Vision in Roman Love Elegy (Peter Lang 2011) and co-author of Rome: A Sourcebook on the Ancient City (Bloomsbury 2018).

Reviews

Damaged males and empowered females: the epic protagonists of this collection, including Dwayne Johnson and Vladimir Putin, show the increasing dark tones used to depict heroism in the new millennium. Constant references to the story of Hercules show the continuing, yet mutating influence of classical myth.
- Arthur J. Pomeroy, Victoria University of Wellington