34 Circe Salon -- The Parallax

The Trojan Horse.  One of the most iconic figures, images and stories in the history of the world.

It is neither in The Iliad nor The Odyssey that we learn its story.  We learn it in Book II of The Aeneid.  

Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel as they take us on a journey through one of the greatest tales the world has ever known. 

Is there a secret number system hidden in The Iliad and The Odyssey? Did Homer convey secret ancient mystery teachings in his great epics? 

Join this encore presentation as Dr. Gary Stickel regales us with his theory of "Code 12" the secret number system hidden in Homer's works.  This concept is key to a lot of our discussions of classical works.  

Sean Marlon Newcombe hosts.

And so we begin the greatest epic of the greatest empire the world has ever known.  Virgil's Aeneid, the epic tale of the founding of the Roman Empire. 

The Aeneid tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who escaped the fall of Troy and traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.  The poem consists of twelve books and covers Aeneas's adventures from his departure from Troy to his final quest to found the Roman people.

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel lead the journey.

Still haunting millennia later, Sophocles' "Ajax" is one of the extraordinary works of world Drama.  Join us as we discuss the tragic story of a the Trojan War hero Ajax and the psychological rupture that the bloodshed caused him.  

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss.

One of the great works of world drama, Euripides "The Bacchae" has mesmerized audiences for over 2000 years.  In the play, the god Dionysus returns to Thebes, his mortal mother’s city, to introduce his cult and punish his relatives who have denied his divinity as the son of Zeus.

What is the play really about and why is it still relevant today?

Join Dr. Gary Stickel and Sean Marlon Newcombe as they discuss this masterpiece. 

The end... or an anti-climax? Some scholars think this may have been a later add-on after Homer was long gone. Listen in as Dr. Gary Stickel and Sean Marlon Newcombe discuss. 

"Warriors, come out and play!" 

So goes the iconic line from this legendary violent retelling of an Ancient Greek tale.  Based on "The Anabasis" by Xenophon which tells the story of a band of Greek mercenaries trying to make their way home through enemy territories, "The Warriors" (1979) transposes this tale to the tough worlds of New York City in the 1970s.  Instead of a band of Greek mercenaries, it's a street gang making their way home through enemy neighborhoods. 

Civic leaders feared the film would cause violence.  Is it still dangerous after all these years?

Find out as Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel roam with The Warriors.

A reboot of the 1947 film "Down To Earth" and starring the incandescent Olivia Newton-John and the inimitable Gene Kelly, "Xanadu" (1980) seemed destined to be a hit.  Instead, it's renown as one of the great flops in Hollywood history.  But was this story of a Greek Muse come to earth really as bad as all that?  

Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel as they discuss this legendary film.

Featuring a goddess of the silver screen, 1947's "Down To Earth" tells the story of a goddess who comes down to earth to act as a muse for a struggling playwright.  Cinema deity Rita Hayworth stars as Terpsichore, one of the Nine Muses of Greek mythology and she decides to come down from the heavens to instruct a young writer/director on how to properly produce his musical on the Muses. Comedy and romance ensue. 

Is it a good film? How true is it to mythology?

Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel as they discuss this tale from Hollywood's Golden Era. 

Penelope and Odysseus reunite.  Nothing more need be said.

Join the discussion with Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel

Revenge is now!  Achilles, Telemachus and their loyal servants launch their attack upon the suitors.  The palace hall is drenched in blood.  When all is done, those who betrayed and assaulted the House of Odysseus will drink from his cup of vengeance.

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss. 

Penelope gets Odysseus’s bow out of the storeroom and announces that she will marry the suitor who can string it and then shoot an arrow through a line of twelve axes.

It's the beginning of the end of our tale.

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss.

An absolutely classic, iconic movie, Jason and the Argonauts (1963) has captured the imagination of young people for 60 years.  Notable for the wonderful stop-motion animation effects of Ray Harryhausen, the film also stars Honor Blackman who went on to her own iconic work as "Cathy Gale" in "The Avengers" British tv series and "Pussy Galore" in "Goldfinger."

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss this legendary film. 

Morning at the palace.  The day of reckoning is at hand.  Penelope awakes in despair.  Odysseus and Telemachus gather to take action. The suitors, unaware of the danger, plan an attack of their own.  Visions of walls covered with blood fill the air.

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel continue the journey.

As night falls on the palace, Odysseus begins to put his strategy into motion when the suitors leave for the night. With help of his son Telemachus and his matron Athena, Odysseus secures the weapons. Later, Odysseus finally encounters Penelope-- but while still disguised as a beggar.  The tender moment is punctuated by a dream the Penelope shares with her husband for whom she has long waited, but does not yet recognize. 

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss. 

The lion has returned to his den-- Odysseus is in his palace! But he's in disguise and keeping at the ready until the time is ripe for his attack.  However, there are obstacles to avoid as he finds himself in a bloody fight for the amusement of the suitors.  

Meanwhile, with the help of Athena, Penelope uses more strategies to keep the suitors at bay.

The tension rises...

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss.

The face that launched a thousand ships!  The most beautiful woman in the world! Queen of Sparta!  That is what we know of the legend of Helen of Troy.  

In this week's episode we look at one of the times Hollywood told her tale, the 1956 movie eponymously titled "Helen of Troy." Starring Rosanna Podesta and Jacques Serna and featuring a very young Bridget Bardot, the film is very much in the style of the "Sword and Sandal" epics of its era.  Does it do Helen justice?  

Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel as they discuss. 

Telemachus arrives at the palace but keeps his knowledge of Odysseus' return secret.  Meanwhile, Odysseus enters the palace as well-- but disguised as a beggar.  He is greeted, however, by insults and violence from the suitors.

Tensions start to boil...

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss. 

After twenty long years, Odysseus and Telemachus, father and son, finally see each other again.  The son is no longer a baby and the father is still glorious after these many years. However, the tenderness of the reunion will have to wait for there is work to be done-- the suitors are aware that Telemachus has returned and are planning a deadly welcome.

Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dr. Gary Stickel discuss.

The end is near.  Athena bids Telemachus to return to Ithaca and defend the palace against the suitors.  Meanwhile, Odysseus, already home in Ithaca, hides out until he can make his move.  Dr. Gary Stickel guides us through the chapter.

Sean Marlon Newcombe hosts.