Iliad 2022: rulers and parents.

The countries are at war. The ruling families too. They act for different motives and in this version, family is as a reason to go to war as an excuse to attack, even a cover for more spurious motives. In this version I have added Clytemnestra and a reference to Iphigenia.. This way we can see the queen of Mycenae in a new light, different from later plays written after Homer's epic. A light that also shines on Hecuba and on all mothers that have lived through wars.

Two couples standing face to face: Agammemnon and Clytemnestra. Priam and Hecuba.

Agamemnon in this retelling remains a formidable leader—but instead of a king, he is a prime minister or president. He is a charismatic yet cunning figure, a man deeply marred by ambition and pride.

Impetuous and stubborn, Agamemnon uses the death of his daughter as another pretext for war, alienating his wife and veering dangerously toward dictatorship. While his grief is real, it is ultimately his ambition and thirst for power that guide him. His wardrobe reflects this duality: his suits are of the highest quality, tailored to perfection, yet rendered in dark, somber tones that mirror both his mourning and his shadowy intentions.

Clytemnestra in this retelling she’s not the evil woman we know. She’s a prominent figure, a grieving mother. She is as strong as Agamemnon and she is unforgiving of him, of his use of the death of their daughter as an excuse to increase his power. She is a fighter without armour: her black suits and heels talk of her power and strength.

Priam here is a constitutional king, without the power of his counterpart in the homeric epic, but counting with something Agamemnon lacks: the love of his wife, sons and country. A diplomatic, kind and nice man, a true statesman but with limited powers, he does whatever is necessary to protect his country and encourage it. My vision came as a mix of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King George VI. Though on a wheelchair, he has the powerful presence of these two real counterparts. As a king, he dresses with the best quality fabrics, but the colours are lighter than those of Agamemnon and Menelaus.

Hecuba, wife of Priam, mother to Paris and Hector, proud grandma as well, tender and as strong as Clytemnestra, she represents all that Clytemnestra lost. She doesn’t dress with the latest fashions or is as glamorous as Agamemnon’s wife, and she’s happy with it. Elegant, calm, quiet… she represents the support from home. Dresses in earthy light colours, that give her that kind of warm no-nonsense attitude that is also one of the main traits of Hector’s character