Glorious Exploits

DEBUTAfter a disastrous defeat during the Peloponnesian War, thousands of Athenians are imprisoned in the quarries outside of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. Lampo, an unemployed Syracusan potter with a club foot, narrates the story. He and his friend Gelon, fueled by their love of the theater, enlist the captive starving Athenians in staging two tragic plays by the famed contemporary Athenian playwright Euripides. It is an outrageous plan, as the local Syracusan populace nurses a particular hatred for the Athenians. A mysterious benefactor comes to Lampo and Gelon’s aid to fund the production, which also includes feeding the malnourished actors. Many Syracusans attend the performance’s opening night, and the plays are a success, but then an angry local crowd storms the stage, killing most of the Athenian actors; Lampo and Gelon barely escape with their lives.