Faire événement : l’épopée homérique comme spectacle rituel

When speaking about Ancient Greek performances, we usually think of dramatic representations. Even though we only have access to the texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey, we are entitled to regard the epics as performances. As literary and iconographic documents of the Classical period show, the epic performances had a spectacular dimension, based on a sensorial engagement that provoked a collective pleasure. In the Odyssey itself, the poetic performances present this show as a breakthrough event. They aimed at creating kharis in order to bound men and gods together through pleasure and have to be considered as rituals.