Speaker: Judith P. Hallett, professor
Department of Classics, University of Maryland
Begun when Joseph Addison was a 15-year-old student at Oxford in 1687, Cato premiered on the London stage in 1713; it quickly became extremely popular in the colonies – with its hero symbolizing resistance to British tyranny – and widely cited by champions of the revolution such as Nathan Hale, Patrick Henry and George Washington himself. Hallett explores the evolution of classical scholars' reactions to the play's depictions of race and gender, from the 1990s to the present, considering how the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2008 has affected the interpretations of the interracial romance at the center of the play. action.
Organized by the Classics Department
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