Constantine Markoulakis will perform in the ancient theater of Epidaurus in summer – on July 18 and 19 – where he will be playing the role of Odysseus in Sophoclean tragedy “Philoctetes”. The play will be directed by Kostas Filippoglou for the Regional Theater of Patras. Michael Marmarinos has been casted in the role of Philoctetes and Emilios Hilakis has been casted in the role of Neoptolemus.

The story takes place during the Trojan War. Philoctetes has left along with other Greeks to fight the Trojans, but was bitten on the foot by a snake while walking on a sacred ground. The bite caused him constant agony, and emitted a horrible smell. As his cries were scaring the soldiers, he was left by Odysseus on the desert island Lemnos. There he stayed for ten years, almost for the whole duration of the Trojan War that hasn’t ended yet.

However, when the Greeks capture a Trojan seer, he foretells that they will need Philoctetes and the bow of Hercules in order to win the war. Odysseus sails back to Lemnos with Neoptolemus in order to get Philoctetes. The task will not be easy, as Philoctetes bitterly hates Odysseus and the Greeks for leaving him there. Eventually, Neoptolemus’s conscience gains the upper hand and returns the bow and arrows to Philoctetes and Odysseus flees angry. Hercules (now a deity) appears then and convinces Neoptolemus to go to Troy and bring victory to the Greeks.