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Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Odyssey.The Odyssey means more than people first thought.
The Odyssey was originally an ancient Greek poem attributed to the poet Homer. It is derived from the Greek word odyne, which translates to pain, and the name of its leading character and mythological hero, Odysseus. The story tells the tale of Odysseus and his long journey home after the Trojan War.
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan and The Odyssey's leading man, Matt Damon, unveil exactly what the meaning was behind Athena's reveal during the final moments of the epic movie, in an interview with Vulture. The big emotional reveal arrives as Odysseus (played by Damon) finally reunites with Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway), and he reflects on his tale, where the face of Athena (played by Zendaya) is shown. Her identity is revealed as Damon and Nolan unpack the truth:
Matt Damon: "To him, she’s there. She’s what he has wrought, and she’s living in his head, like his conscience. But we played it like an interior monologue, almost like a soliloquy. She’s gone when the story tells you who she really was.
Christopher Nolan: "The way Telemachus interacts with Athena in the poem, you feel this idea of projection, of seeking the divine in everything around us and also in other people. That’s so important to the way that society had to hold together because in this world, as soon as you leave the house, you’re at the mercy of strangers.
If you’re going out on a journey for more than a day or two, you’re turning up and saying, ‘Feed me, clothe me, help me.’ And so there has to be this glue, this binding principle of ‘I will treat you as if you were a god in disguise, as if I might be judged by the gods for the way I treat you.’ And the poem gives you that. It also gives you the more literal version, but it’s constantly alluding to the idea of gods in disguise walking amongst us. That, to me, felt like the key."
In Homer's original poem, Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare, and strategic planning. She is the daughter of Zeus and, in the poem, acts as a devoted divine patron to Odysseus and his son Telemachus (played by Tom Holland) as she helps guide them through their trials.
However, in Nolan's adaptation, the surprising and devastating twist is that she is not a goddess at all, and is instead a ghost and psychological manifestation of a priestess that Odysseus watched as she was killed during the sacking of Troy. Odysseus's guilt manifests itself in the vision of Athena, who acts as a confidante but soon is revealed to be a phantom haunting him due to what he has seen and done.
Nolan draws parallels to his last movie, Oppenheimer, and says, "The whole film is about consequences. The delayed onset of consequences that people often forget. To burn the walls of Troy was to burn the entire world," Odysseus says to Penelope, "including his home." And he holds himself directly responsible: "One man’s idea. One man’s trick. To break Zeus’ law forever."
The Odyssey is available to watch in theaters now.
