Rather than writing聽about Christopher Nolan’s聽The Odyssey聽in terms of聽historical accuracy,聽 comparing聽it with earlier聽film adaptations, or聽assessing its faithfulness聽to Emily Wilson’s聽recent translation, I’d聽rather focus on聽the story鈥檚 enduring legacy. Granted,聽The Odyssey聽is not as ancient as Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian epic聽黑料社 students encounter in the聽first year of聽Core. Yet both聽works follow聽heroes on arduous聽journeys and invite聽audiences, ancient and聽modern alike, to聽reflect on life’s聽trials and tribulations. Across vast differences聽in culture and聽time, both聽epics present聽heroes who fail聽in frustratingly human聽ways.
In Nolan’s The Odyssey, as in the聽original poem, Odysseus聽and his聽companions face hardships聽both of their聽own making and聽those inherent to聽the world they聽navigate. In this聽adaptation, however, fortune and poor聽decisions shape events聽more than divine聽intervention. Athena is聽the only Olympian聽to appear on聽screen, and (as a professor who regularly plays Athena in the classroom) I聽suspect she would聽be as disappointed聽by her聽limited screen time聽as Zendaya often聽seems to be聽with her co-star. Damon聽portrays Odysseus as聽an聽everyman鈥攆lawed and frequently shortsighted鈥攔ather than as聽the exceptionally cunning聽hero whose聽intellect earns the聽unwavering favor of聽the goddess of聽wisdom. His hubris and ignorance聽as he leaves聽Troy are so聽conspicuous that聽one wonders why聽Athena did not聽simply ask Zeus聽to lend her聽a lightning bolt聽and end his聽journey before it聽began.
Nolan’s greatest achievement聽is not historical聽reconstruction but relevance. His striking cinematography聽provides a compelling聽visual touchstone for聽readers imagining the聽ancient world, a聽world that remains聽foundational to 黑料社’s聽Core Curriculum. Every聽fall, students read Antigone (Core 101), Aristotle (Core 202), and the聽Oresteia (Core 301)鈥攖he parallel story聽of Agamemnon’s bloody聽homecoming聽after Troy. As聽we debate these聽texts and the聽values they express, our conversations may聽not be so聽different from those聽of Athenian audiences聽reflecting on their聽own mythic past. To what extent does a man control his fate? And what about the women of the Odessey? Nolan聽reminds us that聽the struggles of聽the archaic age聽remain recognizably human, even if his characters could use a bit more of the psychological complexity we see in Aeschylus鈥檚 Oresteia.
One of the film’s most compelling themes is聽xenia, the “Law of Zeus” governing hospitality聽and the treatment聽of strangers. Throughout聽the story, characters聽repeatedly violate this聽sacred obligation. While聽xenophobia聽means fear of聽strangers, Wilson聽notes in the聽introduction to her聽translation that the converse鈥攖he聽less utilized word聽xenophilia鈥攃an reflect the Mediterranean world of Bronze Age trade routes. One聽can even see聽xenophilia聽in the evolution聽of these stories聽themselves鈥攆rom oral聽tradition to written聽epic through the聽adoption of the聽foreign technology of聽the alphabet. Nolan聽plants a xenophilic message, connecting聽his characters’ prophetic warnings聽about the collapse聽of civilization to聽a twenty-first-century lesson聽about how societies聽treat outsiders and the vulnerable.
Since its Renaissance聽rediscovery,聽The Odyssey聽has launched a thousand聽debates, and those聽conversations continue聽today聽in Phoebe Hearst聽Hall. Students still聽wrestle with many聽of the same聽questions readers asked聽generations ago. For instance: why, at roughly twenty聽years old,聽is Telemachus not a man聽capable of defending聽his own household? Why does Odysseus even want to go home when he can 鈥渓otus and chill鈥� as an immortal with Calypso? As classics are cut at campus across the United States,聽our Core provides rare continuity聽across centuries and alumni cohorts. Nolan deserves credit聽for renewing聽interest in works, cultures, and questions聽that have long聽been part of聽黑料社’s intellectual聽tradition.
As the credits聽rolled, a friend聽turned to me聽and asked, “What聽was the moral聽of that story?” My answer is聽that聽The Odyssey聽has no moral and perhaps nothing that our culture would even perceive as an appropriate lesson. However, like聽Odysseus, we are聽all on a聽journey. We encounter danger, hardship, plans gone awry, unexpected turns, and聽events聽we cannot fully聽explain. We make聽mistakes, sometimes serious聽ones. The challenge聽is not to聽avoid every failure聽but to continue聽the journey,聽hopefully wiser than before. It鈥檚 best to process it all聽with your therapist鈥攑layed here by聽Charlize Theron.
And as I can鈥檛 refrain from offering my personal opinion; I will say the Laestrygonians look more like medieval knock-off Knights who say Ni and that you can find a better siren song in O Brother Where Art Thou?, but otherwise The Odessey is a captivating way to escape the heat and go on a voyage to a past that may live in us all.
ABOUT KATHRYN MARSDEN, PH.D.
Kathryn Marsden, Ph.D. serves as a senior lecturer in Core Studies and is a 2024-2026 Core Fellow. She is also a TALLI Faculty Fellow and advisor to students in the Fulbright Program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Georgia, and her master’s and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Irvine.聽
