The Heroes
by John Ashbery

Achilles and his companion Patroclus are hosting a weekend retreat for various other mythic figures at their country house.

While Theseus tells his tales of the minotaur and the labyrinth, and Circe seeks to ensnare the male guests with her magic love-girdle, Ulysses is weighted down by time and memory.

Despite toying with the conventions of drawing room comedy and ancient Greek epics alike, The Heroes evokes a timeless sense of loneliness and loss.