Classicists Impress At Greek And Latin Speaking Competition

Last Wednesday, four pupils took part in the Classical Association Greek and Latin Speaking Competition in London.

In the morning, the group visited the British Museum and were drawn to the Assyrian artefacts: archaeological evidence of ancient cities which we recognised from Genesis, such as Nineveh and Nimrud.

The pupils also took in some slightly more recent artefacts too: the labyrinthine palace at Knossos, putative origin of the myth of Minotaur; and the Rosetta stone, which was the key to deciphering hieroglyphics.

The competition itself was one of very high calibre, but Kingswood more than held their own.

Florence and Emily won a Silver Medal for their accurate and clear reading of ‘ad villam’ from Cambridge Latin Course Book 1, where Caecilius battles through the smoke from the eruption of Vesuvius, to try to find his family.

Tara won a Gold Medal for her original interpretation of the story of Polyphemus, The Cyclops.

Not only was her Greek accurate, but she also added an original dramatic context to the story, inventing a role as a messenger to Agamemnon.

Henry’s reading of a passage from Euripedes’ Medea was very impressive.

Henry won over the judges and the audience by acting both the roles of Creon and Medea as well as reading the whole piece in the challenging iambic trimeter beat of the ancient text, winning another Silver Medal for Kingswood and a special mention from the judges.

Mrs Dakin has praised the students, expressing her pride in the performances and looks forward to showcasing the calibre of Kingswood Classicists at future events.

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