Classical Commemoration of ANZACs

Since the first Australian soldiers landed on the beach at Gallipoli in April 1915 they have been likened to ancient Greek warrior heroes. However, the Trojan hero is simply one aspect of the multi-faceted Australian Anzac archetypal hero whose construction is equally informed by ancient Greek democratic ideals. This paper will briefly examine C.E.W. Bean’s use of the ancient Greek past in the commemoration of the Anzac soldier before focussing on allusions to Homeric heroes in Peter Weir’s Gallipoli (1981). The paper will emphasise the depth to which the classics are embedded in the Anzac Legend by exploring the characterisation of Weir’s two protagonists Archy Hamilton and Frank Dunne as incarnations of the Homeric heroes Achilles and Odysseus respectively.

Sarah Midford (Mediterranean Studies, La Trobe University) traces the use of the classics in the construction of the Anzac tradition and the commemoration of Anzac soldiers who fell during the Great War (1914-1918).

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