The Harris Theater in Chicago was alive with intellectual electricity as the legendary hero of the Trojan War stepped out of Homer’s epic and into a modern courtroom. At the National Hellenic Museum’s (NHM) annual Trial Series, the question at hand was a timeless one: Was Odysseus a hero defending his home, or a war criminal who took the law into his own hands?
Powerfully portrayed by Christos Vasilopoulos, Odysseus faced a formidable prosecution led by Antonio M. Romanucci and Daisy Ayllón (Romanucci & Blandin, LLC). The prosecution painted a chilling picture of a man driven by bloodlust rather than justice. They argued that the slaughter of the suitors was not a justified act of defense but a premeditated massacre and an egregious abuse of power. To bolster their case, they called the court poet Phimeus—brought to life in a compelling performance by Leonardo Sfondouris—who testified that the King acted in a blind, unrestrained fit of rage.
The defense, led by Patrick M. Collins and Tinos Diamantatos (King & Spalding LLP), countered with a narrative of restoration and duty. They argued that for twenty years, the suitors had unlawfully occupied Odysseus’s household, bled his estate dry, and threatened the safety of his wife and son. In the eyes of the defense, Odysseus did not act out of vengeance but out of his solemn obligation as a King to purge his kingdom of domestic invaders and restore the rightful order of Ithaca.
After a rigorous examination of ancient tradition through the lens of modern law, the jury of community leaders returned a verdict of “not guilty” by a razor-thin margin of 7–5. The judicial panel showed even stronger support for the King, with three of the four presiding judges voting for acquittal. The audience, acting as a collective jury, was less conflicted—overwhelmingly voting to clear Odysseus of all charges.
“This was a rare opportunity to see leading attorneys argue a historic case before a distinguished panel of judges,” said Marianne Kountoures, Executive Director of the National Hellenic Museum. “It invited audiences to think about how Ancient Greek history and myth can speak directly to contemporary questions about leadership, judgment, and human conduct.”
The Trial Series of the National Hellenic Museum
The Trial Series remains one of the National Hellenic Museum’s most dynamic programs. By inviting audiences to wrestle with enduring questions of leadership, resilience, and the morality of power, the NHM brings the Ancient Greek world into the present day.
Among the series highlights was the trial of Helen of Troy. Was Helen of Troy, known since antiquity as “the face that launched a thousand ships” at the start of the Trojan War, guilty of adultery? It also revived the Ancient Greek trial of Hippocrates. Prosecutors attempted to prove that Hippocrates was guilty of violating his oath when administering medical care to the dying king of the Ancient Greek city of Thebes.
The NHM has also recreated the trial of Socrates, which took place in 399 BC during the tumultuous period following Athens’s defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War.
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