Aeschylus, Homer, and Greek Ancestors in the Modern Sicilian Theatre

Since ancient times, Sicily has been playing a key role in the history of the Mediterranean. Aeschylus has a special place in Sicilian history: invited in the 470s by the tyrant of Syracuse, and again—after the staging of his trilogy Oresteia (458bce)—he went west to Sicily, where he spent his last days. Moreover, festivals of classical productions have been taking place in Syracuse since 1914, and in Gibellina since the early eighties. My chapter aims to show how Greek texts—and Aeschylus’ Oresteia, first and foremost—played a key role in Sicilian history, in particular as part of the celebration of the foundation (or rebirth) of a community, thanks to the Sicilian artist and playwright Emilio Isgrò.