Sophocles’ Philoctetes

A combat soldier is inflicted with an incurable and insufferable injury. The soldier’s comrades cannot bear to hear the cries of pain or the sight of the wound. They maroon the injured soldier and sail away. The soldier is forgotten. That is, until ten years later, when they learn the cannot end the war without the help if the wounded warrior. Sophocles’ ancient play, Philoctetes, captures a reality for all combat veterans who have been physically wounded and explores ethical dilemmas, as dynamic and relevant today as they were to the Greeks 2500 years ago. Philoctetes is a Warrior Chorus event, a national initiative that trains veterans to present innovative public programs based on ancient literature.