Ben Potter

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Articles

Is it Time to Laugh at our Leaders?

Jan 22, 2025 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Member,Comedy can be a very serious business. Sure, it’s meant to inspire a laugh, allow a temporary escape from drudgery or entertain with a clever play on words... but there is also a long and storied history of comics laying down some hard truths. Recall the jesters in medieval courts around Europe, brightly dressed and cheerfully singing, all while poking fun at either church or state, their criticisms, carefully dressed in humour and joviality.
Secrets of the Odyssey

Jan 10, 2025 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,I didn’t get round to talking about it at the time. Just before Christmas, it was announced that a new film version of the Odyssey will be the next project from Christopher Nolan, acclaimed director of the Dark Knight films, and more recently, Oppenheimer. It’s all caused a bit of excitement. Now, it will be a while before it hits screens, but all kinds of rumors have abounded since. Matt Damon as Odysseus?
Virgil and the Aeneid

Dec 6, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,It’s one of the truly great epics of literature. Virgil’s Aeneid was a Roman attempt to match the glory of Homer, and many believe it succeeded. It has influenced countless writers and artists across the centuries, and remains one of the ancient world’s undisputed masterpieces. It’s the powerful tale of Aeneas, a soldier fleeing the fall of Troy, and entering into his destiny to become the founder of Rome.
Why is Heracles Popular?

Dec 4, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Member,There is certainly more than meets the eye when it comes to Heracles. Despite being embedded in popular consciousness, the rare household name from the ancient world with bulging biceps and Disney branding, very few know the full life, labours, and fascinating symbolism of the conquering champion. However, these were fundamental stories to the ancients, well known plots and characters that infused their legends. This is because not only is he the quintessential hero...
Eternal Glory

Nov 8, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,It’s funny where the Classics can pop up…I happened to see a bit of the new HBO show The Penguin the other night, a crime drama linked to the newest incarnation of the Batman films. At one point, the main character reminisces about a gangster that ran his neighborhood when he was a child, who he viewed as some sort of noble protector of the community.
Democracy

Nov 1, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,They say it’s the ancient Greeks’ greatest gift to the world…But they also say “beware Greeks bearing gifts”!Fittingly for the times we’re in, today we’re looking at the history of Athenian democracy. Nowadays we tend to think of it as one of (if not THE) greatest legacy that the ancient world has passed on to us. Yet the history of Athenian democracy itself is fraught with difficulties and bad decisions.
The NEED to Know War...

Oct 9, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, Reading Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables, without sufficient knowledge of the Napoleonic Wars is an exercise of despair. Trust me, I know. I’m in the midst of it as we speak. My appalling lack of recognition of the generals, the battlefields, the composition of each ‘side’ has undermined my understanding of the events, the characters...
Why Was Hannibal Defeated? And What If He Had Won?

Sep 30, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, Few things appear to be as motivating as sheer, unadulterated hatred. I’m not saying this is a good thing... but it quite literally lights a fire from below and makes the men and women of history move. One excellent example of both the inspiration and destruction caused by such a strong sentiment is the history of Carthage. Founded in the 6th century, Carthage was Rome’s complete antithesis. While the Romans expanded by conquest, Carthage built its empire on trade...
Dionysus

Sep 27, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,So, I’ve recently been reading Donna Tartt’s novel The Secret History. It’s the dark tale of a class of Classics students who find themselves crossing the boundaries of conventional morality…Now I’m not quite finished it just yet (so no spoilers!), but it’s surprising how much the figure of the Greek god Dionysus looms large over the proceedings. Especially considering it’s set in the 1980s!Of course, Dionysus is nothing if not a boundary pusher.
No Women Allowed?

Sep 13, 2024 | classicalwisdom.substack.com | Ben Potter

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,It’s one of the great ironies of the ancient world…Greek theater remains famous for its indomitable and complex female characters, from Medea to Clytemnestra. Even when their actions are terrifying, there’s often a painful, deeply human motivation at its core. Yet, despite this, women themselves were not allowed to perform in Greek plays.