On Wednesday 12th October Mrs Smith and Ms Lambert set out on a Greek odyssey.

We met 9, slightly bleary-eyed, Classicists (both Greek and Classical Civilisation scholars) at King’s Cross ready to make our way to Cambridge. After a brisk walk from the station, Mrs Smith took us on a tour of her former college Pembroke, pointing out the Christopher Wren designed chapel, marvelling at the statue of Pitt the Younger (who attended Pembroke aged 14!) and enjoying the grounds with the oldest bowling green in England.

The girls were given some free time to explore the centre, grab lunch and a free fudge sample before heading to lecture entitled ‘Girls Allowed: Drama Queens of Ancient Athens’ given by the eminent professor Paul Cartledge. We then enjoyed two diverse performances in the original Ancient Greek, amazed by the skill involved in remembering your lines not only in an ancient language but also in metre. First up was Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, telling the sad tale of Antigone’s plight to honour her dead brother against the decrees of the current king. It was performed with passion and an interesting take on the role of the chorus (the original Greek word means both dancing and singing). The grand finale was a hilarious portrayal of Aristophanes’ ‘feminist’ play Lysistrata where the women hold a sex-strike in order for the men to make peace. The comedy was in full force and Aristophanes would have been proud of the cameos made by a certain floppy-haired Foreign Secretary and a gaff-riddled presidential nominee.

The day was a great success and the girls were delightful company. A huge thank you to the staff involved.