Reimagining Classics in the Modern World as a Tool for Social Change
‘I hope more people begin to see that Classics is much more than preserving the past, it is about shaping the future.’
In this blog, UG student Lilliana Mitchell discusses the concept of Applied Classics, focusing particularly on the opportunities presented by theatre. She identifies the social good that careful use of Classical antiquity can do today and the ethical responsibility that those studying it have to explore the discipline through an ‘activist lens’.
June 2025
Whilst browsing the module options for this year, ‘modern world’ jumped out at me since – like many people in this discipline – I crave a relevant answer to the never-ending ‘Why study Classics?’ question. My first two years of reading have been fulfilling, yet traditional, and I found myself wanting to bridge this conventional knowledge with a more practical, forward-looking approach. While I had long understood antiquity’s influence on our modern world, I had never considered how Classics can be actively applied to contemporary socio-political issues. As someone passionate about social equality, particularly women’s rights, I was struck by the fact I had never allowed these two interests to overlap. This module felt like the ideal opportunity to explore that connection.
I assumed the definition of ‘Applied Classics’ would align closely with my understanding of ‘reception’, which involves aspects of the ancient world being reinterpreted for modern audiences. However, our classroom discussions made me recognise that, rather than focusing on antiquity’s indirect influence on later times, ‘Applied Classics’ is much more solution-oriented, purposeful and ‘hands-on’.[i] After researching further, and considering the necessity for being exploratory, creative and taking risks in such a new subject area, I believe that theatre and performance are some of the best methods for applying antiquity as an intervention for modern problems.
The history of Classics as a discipline is tied to elite, white men, by both the subject matter and those who study it. Although we are moving in the right direction, it remains inaccessible to many and class disparity is rife. The majority of those who study Greek, Latin and Ancient Civilisation are privately educated, compared to only 7% of children in the UK attending private school.[ii] Change is necessary, and as discussed by Dan-el Padilla Peralta, there is much more to the subject than powerful, male leaders and through questioning the past we can build conversations around gender, race, and class from it.[iii] Accessible theatre performances and workshops are a great way to combat this, and intentionally and positively expanding whom Classics reaches.
This new wave is also important, especially in an era so dominated by social media, as the misappropriation of Classics is at an all-time high. The misuse of references from antiquity are being used as evidence for harmful political rhetoric online – from quoting Thucydides, in order to promote Trump’s presidential campaign, to ‘Manosphere’ groups sharing misogynistic ideologies whilst hiding behind profile pictures of ancient statues or unanalysed elegiac excerpts.[iv] This adds to the necessity for those with good intentions within the Classics community to get involved with ‘Applied Classics’ and help change the narrative of what Classics stands for and how it gest deployed in the modern world.
‘NMT Automatics’ are a theatre company doing just that. They aim to ‘update Classical myths to resonate with contemporary audiences’ and benefit communities, performing plays inspired by the stories of well-known characters from ancient myth such Hector, Andromache, Aeneas and Dido.[v] Their recent play, ‘Tempus Fugit’, was inspired by the Iliad and challenges war narratives, promoting peace literacy and critical thinking, combining themes from ancient epic with modern experiences of conflict, military culture and women’s experiences.[vi] It bridges past and present, using storytelling and drama to bring Classics to a new audience whilst encouraging reflective conversations on war and peace. It also encourages those of us already familiar with ancient myth to question our often rigid opinions on the stories and think about them from new angles. I find this an excellent example of how Classics can be used for positive social engagement – both making the material more approachable and leveraging it as a foundation for constructive discussions on sensitive issues. This approach successfully balances pragmatism and idealism, a potential challenge in such projects. However, two small possible limitations come to mind, the Latin title may alienate those without a Classical background, and as a theatrical performance (staged in this case at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), its reach is naturally limited to smaller, often paying audiences, and to members of the public already disposed to engage with the discipline and this sort of production.
Another similar initiative, directed by ‘artivist’ Rhodessa Jones, is ‘The Medea Project’ which supports personal transformation and emotional growth through performance workshops for incarcerated women.[vii] These sessions encourage women, who have often experienced significant trauma, to reconnect with their voices and society, preparing for a new start in the outside world. I found Jones’ interview with The Classical Association’s ‘Classics and Careers’ podcast especially moving.[viii] She detailed how she had met a modern-day Medea whilst teaching fitness in a women’s prison and was inspired to use her knowledge of Classics to help women reclaim their stories and create a safe space to build confidence and resilience. Characters from myth are used creatively, such as Persephone to discuss familial abuse and the Minotaur to discuss race disparity in healthcare, helping women confront their trauma through storytelling. Using myth in this way offers a unique way to connect closely, on an emotional level, with participants, without having to involve an individual’s personal trauma in intrusive or extractive ways. This almost paradoxical level of proximity and distance is one of the factors that makes ancient storytelling stand out as a valuable method of therapy. A particularly important part of the company is that it also offers support to others who want to lead rehabilitative workshops, and holds free, online sessions too, making it extremely accessible for those who need it most.[ix] This case study especially resonated with me as one of my future goals is to work with incarcerated women, and I had always been concerned that my choice to study Classics would not benefit in working towards this aim. I now recognise that the skills I am developing and the concept of ‘Applied Classics’ support this journey. With 72% of women in the UK in prison for non-violent crimes, and 71% having mental health problems, there is a significant problem within our justice system which remains largely unaddressed.[x] ‘The Medea Project’ is an example of ‘Applied Classics’ which is genuinely improving lives and benefitting communities, and I am in nothing but awe of Jones’ creativity and drive.
Thinking about the ancient world through this activist lens does not just answer the question of why we study Classics but transforms it into a call for action. There is a growing awareness, pushed by scholars like Donna Zuckerberg, for Classicists to recognise the ethical responsibility they hold whilst working in a discipline so closely tied to white supremacism and gender inequality. Seeing people use Classics for good is extremely inspiring, especially in today’s political climate, and I hope more people begin to see that it is much more than preserving the past, it is about shaping the future.
[i] König, A, ‘Teaching Classics as an applied subject’, The Journal of Classics Teaching 25(49), 2024, P.9.
[ii] Hall, E, ‘Citizen’s Classics for the 21st Century’, The Journal of Classics Teaching 16 (32), 2015, P.3.
[iii] Peralta, D.P, ‘Why “Why Classics?”’ < https://classics.stanford.edu/dan-el-padilla-peralta-why-why-classics> [accessed 19/02/2025].
[iv] Morley, N, ‘Applied Thucydides 2’, [accessed 16/02/2025].
Zuckerberg, D, Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age, Harvard University Press, 2018, P.37-56.
[v] https://nmtautomatics.com [accessed 19/02/2025].
[vi] König, A.R., Dunne, J. & D’Young, J, ‘From Achilles to Andromache to Afghanistan and beyond’, Visualising War across the Ancient Mediterranean: interplay between conflict narratives in different media and genres, Routledge, 2025, P.2-3.
[vii] https://themedeaproject.weebly.com [accessed 19/02/2025].
[viii]Rhodessa Jones, Activist & Performer: Classics and Careers, The Classics Podcast, 2025, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0QYKQ9vKUveu500Xn2vHVU?si=c0c8852b601e400f [accessed 19/02/2025].
[ix] https://themedeaproject.weebly.com [accessed 19/02/2025].
[x] ‘Why focus on reducing women’s imprisonment?’, Prison Reform Trust Report, July 2021, P.2.
References
Websites last accessed [19/02/2025]
Hall, Edith, ‘Citizen’s Classics for the 21st Century’, The Journal of Classics Teaching 16 (32), 2015
König, Alice, ‘Teaching Classics as an applied subject’, The Journal of Classics Teaching 25(49), 2024.
König, A.R., Dunne, J. & D’Young, J, ‘From Achilles to Andromache to Afghanistan and beyond’, Visualising War across the Ancient Mediterranean: interplay between conflict narratives in different media and genres, Routledge, 2025.
Morley, Neville, ‘Applied Thucydides 2’, https://moody.st-andrews.ac.uk/moodle/pluginfile.php/1881858/mod_resource/content/1/Applied%20Thucydides%202_default.mp4.
Peralta, Dan-el Padilla, ‘Why “Why Classics?”’ < https://classics.stanford.edu/dan-el-padilla-peralta-why-why-classics>.
Zuckerberg, Donna, Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age, Harvard University Press, 2018.
https://themedeaproject.weebly.com