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The Odyssey: A Comparison of the Film and Poem
Overview
Several versions of Homer’s The Odyssey have been released since the work was first released in the 8th century. Each of the new tales of the original version differs from one another, omitting or spinning the story, but most importantly, they stick with the same storyline. Homer’s poem covers the story of Odysseus, a famous Greek hero. Even though Odysseus was one of the mighty fighters in the Trojan War, he was challenged several times on his way home, Ithaca, to reunite with his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. In 1997, Andrei Konchalovsky released the film version of Homer’s Poem. The comparison between the film and the poem shows similar and different aspects of characters, setting, main events, mythological elements, conflicts, and themes.
Similarities between the Film and the Poem
First, the character traits portrayed in the film are similar to how they are portrayed in the poem. It means that most of the film characters have a similar personality to how they are depicted in the poem. For instance, the poem depicts Odysseus as smart in battles. In Book One of the poem, Homer laments, “Oh Goddess of Inspiration, help me sing of wily Odysseus, that master of schemes.” (5) In this context, the word wily means that Odysseus is highly skilled at gaining advantage – a trick he uses to defeat most of his enemies. The same trait of Odysseus is portrayed in the film. For example, when Polyphemus, a Cyclops, traps Odysseus and some of his crew in his cave, Odysseus tricks him into drinking the strong liquor before blinding him to escape. Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, is another character that shows similar traits in the movie and the book. In both, she is portrayed as emotionally patient and strong in how she patiently waits for Odysseus to return home alive. Even though Anticlea, Odysseus’ mother, wants Anticlea to forget about her husband and focus on preparing Telemechus for kingship, she [Anticlea] believes Odysseus will return home safe, regardless of how long it takes.
Another similarity between the book and the film manifests in the themes. Themes such as the power of cunning and self-restraint, heroism, the tension between goals and obstacles, the pitfalls of temptations, and the misery of separation are presented in both the book and the film. For example, in Book Two, Antinous tries to encourage Telemachus to join the Suitor. However, Telemachus, through his self-restraint and cunning nature, tells Antinous that he will not have anything to do with the suitors and that he will bring destruction to them – the same is illustrated in the film. Also, the theme of heroism runs parallel in the film and the epic poem. For instance, Odysseus shows heroism through his courage, strength, thirst for glory, authority, nobility, confidence, and sharp intellect. Furthermore, both the book and the film accurately portray the Greek mythological elements. More precisely, the use of supernatural powers takes most parts of the film and the book. For instance, the god Zeus uses his powers to influence other gods to do as he requires. Likewise, in both the book and film, Odysseus speaks directly with Athena, something not possible in reality.
Differences Between the film and the poem
Despite their many similarities, there are key differences between the two pieces of work. The first main dissimilarity is the fighting between the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and Odysseus and his men. To start with, the time when Odysseus and his men were in the cave, as illustrated in the book, conflicts with the film’s scenery. The poem says that Odysseus and his men waited in the cave for one night before attacking the Cyclops, “We passed a miserable night and then watched the Cyclops make breakfast of two more of our companions.” (20). However, in the film, the eye stabbing and escaping the cave events occur the same night. Still, in the same event, the number of men that Cyclopes attack in the epic poem is different in the film. Only two men are devoured in the film, while in the poem, the Cyclopes attacks six men – two companions in the first night, another two for breakfast, and the last two in the evening that Odysseus plans his escape.
Arguably, the movie and the poem’s narrative is recognizably dissimilar. In the film, the story begins when Telemachus is born, just a few days before Odysseus leaves for the Troy War. Odysseus then returns home after a rough journey, and events follow a chronological structure. In the book, however, the narrative begins when Odysseus’ men are trapped in the Nymph’s island, and no events such as the birth of Telemachus are mentioned. There is also a difference in how Odysseus returns back to Ithaca, and the entire series of events that happened while Odysseus was away. For example, Odysseus’ journey back home is full of troubles, as the poem narrates. On one occasion, Odysseus goes to town with Emmaus. Upon reaching the fountain, the duo bumps into Melanthius, who insults Odysseus with a bad attitude. Homer explains, “On the trail he encounters an insolent goatherd named Melanthius, who curses and tries to kick him.” (29) This way, Homer wants readers to know how endurable and patient Odysseus is. In the film, however, Odysseus reminds Telemachus about his life as a child. Full of emotions, the two embraces each other, and with Athena’s help, Telemachus takes Odysseus to their house without much difficulty. Likewise, there is a difference in how the suitors treated Penelope. In the film, the suitors treat neither Penelope nor Telemachus with any respect. After wearing out their visit, Penelope requests the suitors to leave, but they mock her. However, the poem’s narrative of the same event is recognizably different, as they treat Penelope better.
Conclusively, The Odyssey is a great visualization. Reading the poem and watching the movie afterward uncovers important similarities and differences between the two works. Even though the film, The Odyssey, is inspired by Homer’s work and have a certain degree of similarity, the two are dissimilar in terms of characters, setting, main events, mythological elements, conflicts, and themes. Nevertheless, each of these pieces creates a sensual impression of ancient Greek life.
Work Cited
Konchalovsky, Andrei. The Odyssey. NBC, 1997.
Skidmore, Joel. “The Illustrated Odyssey.” Mythweb.Com, 1998, http://www.mythweb.com/odyssey/Odyssey.pdf.