The Odyssey
Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, tells the story of the famous Greek hero Odysseus. Odysseus was one of the greatest fighters in the Trojan War, but sadly underwent many challenging trials before finally returning home to his family, consisting of his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachos. The poem takes the reader on various adventures and tells the reader numerous stories which gives the reader insight into Odysseus' character and the themes of the poem. The Coen Brothers' movie O Brother Where Art Thou?, which is based on Homer's poem, takes place in America during the 1930s. Ulysses Everett McGill escapes with two of his fellow convicts, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O'Donnell, from their Mississippi chain gang. Similarly, Ulysses wishes to return home to his wife, Penny McGill, who is soon to be re-married, and his daughters. The movie, too, revolves around an exciting journey that leads Ulysses home. Throughout both pieces of art there are many important themes, and although they are more dominant in The Odyssey, they are still acknowledged in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? The three most critical themes in The Odyssey that are touched upon in O Brother Where Art Thou? as well are hospitality, temptation, and disgui
The poem and movie share the most critical themes of temptation, hospitality, and disguise which all helped advance the plot and theme of both works. He gets Polyphemus drunk and, consequently, Polyphemus collapses. Finally, at the end of the poem, the swineherd, Eumaios, shows Telemachos and Odysseus hospitality by allowing them to stay with him. Finally, Odysseus uses disguise when he returns to Ithaka. Kalypso, a beautiful nymph desires, "that [Odysseus] should be her husband" (I, 15). When Ulysses and Delmar wake up the next morning, Pete is gone and so are the Sirens. First Peisistratos, son of Nestor, came close to them and took them both by hands, and seated them at the feasting (III, 34-37). Once again, the reader notices the generosity and openness of the Greeks towards others. Then she put another vile rag on him, and a tunic, tattered, squalid, blackened with foul smoke. All of these disguises required planning, intelligence, strategy, and deception on the part of the protagonists, Odysseus and Ulysses. In examining these two works the reader or audience should realize that these themes can and are easily translated into one's daily life, no matter if one lives in Ancient Greece, 1930s America, or the 21st century.
Common topics in this essay:
Art Thou,
Pete Delmar,
Sirens Sirens,
Penelope's Nausikaa's,
Finally Odysseus,
Telemachos Odysseus,
Constant Sorrows,
Kalypso Odysseus,
Telemachos Peisistratos,
Alkinoos Arete,
art thou,
movie art,
movie art thou,
pete delmar,
poem movie,
theme hospitality,
odysseus disguise,
return home,
art thou ulysses,
chain gang,
hospitality temptation,
wife penelope,
ulysses pete delmar,
hospitality temptation disguise,
thou hospitality temptation,
|
Acceptance Essays
