The Odyssey, an epic story by Homer is a Greek poem written in 700 BC. It is a piece of literature that has been widely analysed because of the hero, Odysseus. O Brother, Where Art Thou is an 2000 adventure comedy film by Joel and Ethan Coen. This film has been described to be a retelling of the epic story The Odyssey with Ulysses Everett McGill (Everett) being the hero of the film. The two pieces of literature are based around their different cultures, but the Hero’s journey and adventure are the same. Even though their stated reason for their journeys are different, the archetypes are parallel in both myths and Odysseus and Everett are “ideal” heroes within their cultures.
The stated reason for the journey and the actual reason of the journey
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Although the stories take place in different time periods and have different cultural influences, there are many similarities/parallels between them.The temptress in O Brother, Where Art Thou is the three girls sitting by the river singing and washing their clothes. These women, being the tempters that they are, lured Everett and his two friends over to them. The Temptress in The Odyssey was the Sirens. The Sirens were women in the ocean who lured the men in with their feminine charm and beautiful singing. Also, in The Odyssey the Lotus Eaters are another form of temptation, and in O Brother, Where Art Thou the people who are baptising in the river are seen as tempters. This Archetype is a trap to danger. The Giant Monster Archetype is portrayed in The Odyssey as the one-eyed monster, Cyclops. In O Brother, Where Art Thou the piano player at the restaurant, Big Dan, with the eye-patch is parallel to the Cyclops. In both stories these characters represent an incident where their journey back home was set back because of another trial they had to face. The Wise Old Mentor Archetype is the blind prophet Tiresias, and in O Brother, Where Art Thou the old blind man on the railroad. The last Archetype is the Unfaithful Wife. In both stories the wives, Penelope and Penny are unfaithful to their husbands and are attracted to a more desirable man. The Temptress, with sensuous beauty, message is clear to …show more content…
In the book The Odyssey, the epic hero is Odysseus. In the film, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett is portrayed as the epic hero.Odysseus is presented as the epic hero in this story because he actually reached his destination. His destination was to go to Ithaca. He also established peace on the island all with the help and guide of Athena. Odysseus also remained faithful and loyal to his wife, Penelope.Everett is the epic hero in this story because he successfully arrived at his home and reunited with his wife and children. Odysseus overcomes many dangerous experiences because of his cunning and wisdom. Throughout the entire voyage Odysseus was in search of his home, and his family. Just like any great hero, everyone has a tragic flaw. In Odysseus case, he did not have any big flaws, but he did lose his crew men and he boasted about himself too much. Everett was seen as a hero in this story because of the loyalty in his heart to always stick with his family and fight for them. Everett was also very brave in the many trails he was faced. Along Everette’s journey he has changed spiritually. He is not the egotistical man he was at the beginning of the film and he returns to Penny a more sincere and loving husband. Although the heroes share different qualities and achieve their goals differently, they are still seen as ideal heroes in their individually
The character of Everett has many Odyssean qualities: his cunning, his intelligence, his mastery of words, and, most notably, his stubborn pride. Odysseus’ downfall in the Odyssey is his overwhelming need to be remembered in name and deed. As a hero this is his tragic flaw. By the time he is introduced in the epic he has already been wandering for many years. He then narrates how he ended up in such a sad state, unable to reach his home in Ithaca. It all started with his encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus, on his way home from the Trojan War. Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas. He entraps Odysseus and his men ...
As seen throughout The Odyssey, a hero is perceived as a person who achieves great success never before seen and whose legacy lives beyond their years. Since The Odyssey was written around the eighth century BCE, the people that we view as heros in present day tend to embody different traits than the heroes of that time. Even though the word, “hero” does not have one specific definition, a hero is generally categorized as someone who is idolized for their bravery and does anything necessary to defend their people. Although Odysseus embodies the Homeric ideals of heroism in that he accomplishes triumphs that others have not, his successes are the product of divine intervention and his actions were primarily selfish; therefore, he is not a true
Pop culture’s mythology theory is used in many forms of media today, from The Legend of Zelda in video games to “Harry Potter in books. One example of usage of the mythology theory is the 1996 movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? directed by Joel Coen. This movie is based off Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.” There are many similarities between the two, yet at the same time, there are many differences.
The majority of those who read The Odyssey consider the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, a hero. On many occasions, however, Odysseus makes decisions beneficial to himself alone. For example, when Odysseus and his men find themselves on Polyphemus's island, Odysseus's actions are self-centered and at the expense of his men. This can be said for most of Odysseus's actions in the story, as his main objective is to reach his home. Having his men by his side when he returns seems a trivial thing to him. Odysseus could be considered a hero, but many of his actions say otherwise. Due to the many unfaithful and self-centered decisions he makes in the story, Odysseus is not a hero.
Firstly, the main characters of both stories, Odysseus and Ulysses, share qualities of the “crossing the first threshold” that quite clearly show the similarities in these stories. These parts of the heroes’ journeys for Odysseus and Ulysses both consist of the two beginning their long journeys and beginning the transformations from ordinary people to heroes. In The Odyssey, this part of the journey is when both Odysseus starts his journey to Troy to fight in the Trojan War and when his transformation from ordinary citizen to hero commences. In O Brother, this section of the journey is when Ulysses and his fellow jail mates break out of jail and begin the long journey home that initiates his character shift from an av...
Let's begin with the most basic and obvious similarities, the movie and the book both begin with the same line " Sing in me O muse." The Greek name Odysseus translates to the name Ulysses in Latin. Odysseus's goal in the book is to get home to Ithaca to be with his wife Penelope and save her from the suitors. Ulysses is trying to get to Ithica, New York, to stop his wife Penny from marrying a suitor. Odysseus begins his journey by spending seven years on the island of Calypso before being let go. Ulysses is in jail for several years before escaping. Shortly after escaping, Ulysses runs into a blind man that tells him several warnings about his up coming adventure. Odysseus gets various warnings from different gods, and from prophets through out his entire journey. In the Odyssey, they travel to the island of the lotus-eaters. Once the men eat the flower they become passive and don't want to leave the island. In O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU the scene where Delmer and Pete are baptized is comparable to this. Delmer and Pete have no worry and are happy that they are sin free, even though the police are still looking to arrest them for escaping jail. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is warned not to touch the cattle of Helios, ...
These women can be compared to Sirens. Everett and his men fall under the spell of these sirens. The sirens make the men drink whiskey until they pass out. When they wake up they discover that Pete is nowhere to be found. All they discover is his clothes and a frog in them; Delmar is convinced that that was in fact Pete himself. The fact that Delmar believes that the sirens turned Pete into a frog resembles the scene when Circe turns Odysseus’ men into pigs. Although Pete was not really turned into a frog, it symbolizes how they are punished for being on a journey with Everett. Same can be said of Odysseus’ men. They are punished for being on this grand journey with a man that has many faults including pride. Everett and Delmar then meet Big Daniel Teague. Daniel Teague is a big man with only one functioning eye. Polyphemus and Daniel go hand in hand. Though, Daniel is a salesman and his is also very good at oratory like Everett. This is completely different than Polyphemus in The Odyssey. Polyphemus is supposed to be a monster and nothing like a civilized person. Daniel is a civilized but he does have animalistic tendencies. He kills the frog with his hands and beats up Everett and Delmar. Daniel killed what was supposedly one of Everett’s men. This is pretty close to what Polyphemus
...journey that is taken by a man. Throughout both tales, the audience is habituated with the sense that both characters are on this journey. The journey, in both cases, is fought for family, which is indeed quite noble. Of course, human nature is a key similarity as well, as both of these men go great lengths in order to finally make it back to where they came from and to find true happiness. And as said before, both “The Odyssey” and “O Brother Where Art Thou?” can be thought of as stories of a man coming home, with all of the characters playing their parts to create a true epic. The small details are not what make these two tales similar. Instead, the creators used broad, yet powerful concepts about friendship, hardship, and love. And in the end, this pays off very well, giving the audience a great opening into a true world where human emotion and nature rule all.
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
The question has been raised as to whether or not Odysseus, the hero of Homers The Odyssey, is an epic hero. An epic Hero portrays many classic properties, including being very strong and courageous. Odysseus is an epic hero, because he portrays many of these and other traits, such as having a goal that is foremost in his mind, and having descended into the underworld.
Throughout the Odyssey there are many themes that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge,Greed and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseus's love for plunder).
Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not
Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus the King of Ithaca is given a complex personality to an extent where it is hard to identify whether he is a true hero or not. True heroism is only achieved when a person achieves certain qualities that portray heroism. Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle because of his actions of sacrificing his men, killing the suitors and being ruthless throughout the Odyssey. Along with many others qualities these three are helpful and necessary in a hero. A hero must be willing to do service for others and put the needs of others safety and protection before his own. Odysseus does not even come close to matching these qualities because he is a person, who only serves of himself, and he sacrifices his allies to achieve his goals and often he takes action ruthlessly.
The main characters of each work are automatically associated with each other by their names, but they also share similar personalities and characteristics. Odysseus is a wily hero of the Trojan War who uses his deceptive...