The Cure at Troy
by Seamus Heaney · 1990
Buy on AmazonThe Cure at Troy is Seamus Heaney's version of Sophocles's Philoctetes. Written in the fifth century BC, this play concerns the predicament of the outcast hero, Philoctetes, whom the Greeks marooned on the island of Lemnos and forgot about until the closing stages of the Siege of Troy. Abandoned because of a wounded foot, Philoctetes nevertheless possesses an invincible bow without which the Greeks cannot win the Trojan War. They are forced to return to Lemnos and seek out Philoctetes' support in a drama that explores the conflict between personal integrity and political expediency. Heaney's version of Philoctetes is a fast-paced, brilliant work ideally suited to the stage.…
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"The Vice President loves Irish poetry. Heaney is one of his favorites. He often quotes the last of these lines: “The longed-for tidal wave / Of justice can rise up / And hope and history rhyme.” Joe Biden has what he would describe as a very Irish soul, a very Irish mindset. A view of the world that says tragedy happens. There are good days and bad days. You need to celebrate the good days and get through the bad days and make the most of those times when hope and history rhyme. It is fitting, I suppose. I definitely feel like the Biden 2020 campaign is an epic odyssey—perhaps all campaigns are, but this one more than most. At this moment, Joe Biden’s attributes uniquely qualify him to lead the way toward, as he would say, restoring the soul of America."
Joe Biden · fivebooks.com