The Ballad of Hesiod: Putting the Author into the Myth

The ancient Greek poet, Hesiod, famous for his Theogony and Works and Days, as well as some surviving fragments (his Testimonia), wrote about the Greek gods and other mythological figures. I have written a feature film-length screenplay, entitled The Ballad of Hesiod, which tells this poet's story from when he was a young boy to the time when he began to write his epics. The screenplay is partially based on factual reports of his real life, detailing the death of Hesiod’s father and his lost inheritance, which was stolen by his brother Perses. The screenplay is thus also based partially on less factual reports, which include some things that were merely rumored, some that historians believe credible, but also items that scholars doubt, such as Hesiod’s status as cousin to the poet, Homer, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The rest of my screenplay is fictional, detailing Hesiod’s interactions with the Greek gods and other mythological figures, such as Zeus, Prometheus, Sisyphus, King Minos, and more, who, at the end of the story, inspired him to write his epics. Three potential levels of reality (solidly factual, merely rumored, and purely mythical) come together to form one compelling story: we follow Hesiod on an epic journey to find his brother and get his money back! In this presentation, I plan to introduce briefly Hesiod, the plot line, and my writing process. This will be followed by a “table read.” I, together with volunteers from the audience, will read a short scene from the screenplay.