SCOUT· 43%59m·2026-09-17·HistoryHow Homer’s Odyssey Conquered the English-speaking World
Last episode, Mary and Charlotte looked at how Homer’s Odyssey was reinterpreted in the Ancient World by writers like Euripides, Virgil and Ovid. In this episode, they show how it shaped English fiction - from Shakespeare through to Madeline Miller. They are joined by Jonty Claypole - Instant Classics producer and…
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What people are saying
“Warm greetings from Greece; a wonderful show—and many congratulations to the gentleman in the group as well. Shakespeare did not read Homer directly from ancient Greek, as his contemporary Ben Jonson famously noted that he had "small Latin…”
“I wonder if its possible that 'great works' which would survive thousands of years can even be written anymore. Could anyone write something today that will last as long as something like The Odyssey has? Do we have anything to say? Anythin…”
“Thanks, Richard Holmes's biography of Tennyson is really interesting, though the descriptions of Victorian Mablethorpe amused me, as I couldn't detach it from the modern seaside.”
“Wonderful people talking about a wonderful topic ❤ Love Mary Beard as always!”
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