SerpApi.Org
Warning: Includes SPOILERS for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey!
Christopher Nolan has adapted the seminal epic of ancient literature, The Odyssey. As is the case with many of his films, Nolan has left some questions unanswered, allowing room for audience interpretation. And that's not even to mention the broader historical and mythological context and the differences from Homer's text.
The final act sees Odysseus (Matt Damon) return home to Ithaca, killing all 108 suitors single-handedly, earning Penelope back after his 20-year voyage to and from Troy. For a moment, it seems like Odysseus has perished, but rather than heading back to the Underworld, Christopher Nolan sends his Greek hero on a voyage west, where he and Penelope (Anne Hathaway) can honor those who gave their lives fighting for Greece in the Trojan War, and for Odysseus to make it back home.
Why You Should Trust Me: I've been a fan of Greek mythology for as long as I can remember, and I first became acquainted with The Odyssey in my early teen years. I've re-read and studied the text multiple times since, and just recently refreshed myself with the material prior to seeing Christopher Nolan's adaptation in theaters. Fair warning, I'm mostly familiar with the Robert Fagles translation, and it's what I'll be using as my point of reference.
Where Do Odysseus and Penelope Sail?
As Odysseus mentions, he and Penelope sail west to honor the dead and live the remainder of their lives away from the war and politics of Greece. Geographically, this would take them to Italy, but it's important to realize that the journey of The Odyssey is not bound to any geographical reality. The trip back from Troy takes Odysseus across the Aegean Sea, and while many of the locations he visits are anchored in real locations, the expedition itself passes through mythical realms like the Underworld, and distance often feels distorted. Thus, we must focus on the symbolic meaning of his journey, rather than his physical destination.
Much of Christopher Nolan's depiction of The Odyssey is about a soldier attempting to escape the horrors of war. Though he has left the battleground, the war continues to follow him home, and he barely makes it back to Ithaca intact. Only by reuniting with the love of his life can Odysseus rest, and that is what his final voyage represents. Odysseus sails away from war, toward peace and closure. Back in Ithaca, Telemachus (Tom Holland) becomes king, fulfilling his father's role, now prepared for his own trials and tribulations to come.
As for sailing to Italy, there is another epic by the Roman poet Virgil, written centuries later, called The Aeneid, which depicts a Trojan refugee named Aeneas. This tale begins with the Sack of Troy, where Aeneas escapes and leads a group of Trojans to Italy, laying the foundation for Rome.
The Battle With the Suitors, Explained
Realizing it is time to make a choice, Penelope poses a challenge to the suitors: string the bow of Odysseus and fire an arrow through the arched holes of the axe heads. This is an immense feat of strength, and one only Odysseus has been able to accomplish before. Rather than announcing his arrival and giving the suitors time to prepare, Odysseus sneaks in, studies his enemy, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When all the suitors are trapped, Odysseus completes the challenge, revealing himself before the massacre ensues.
In the text, Antinous (Robert Pattinson) is the first of the suitors Odysseus kills, rather than the last. This change allowed Nolan to characterize Antinous, giving him a chief villain with a backstory tied to the Trojan War and a juicy role for Robert Pattinson to dive into. In the Nolan film, Odysseus delivers the final blow to Antinous, returning the stick Antinous drew 20 years prior, essentially telling him to go to the Underworld as a coward.
"strung his bow with ease and shot through all the axes,
his flashing arrows out before him, glaring for the kill,
he cut Antinous down, then shot his painful arrows
into the rest of us, aiming straight and true"
- The Odyssey (Robert Fagles, Book XXIV)
How 'The Odyssey's Ending Differs From Homer's Version
Christopher Nolan's closing moments of The Odyssey are quite different from the text. In Homer's Odyssey, the fathers of the suitors attempt revenge against Odysseus, potentially continuing the cycle of bloodshed. While Odysseus and Telemachus are prepared to fight back, Athena steps in and pushes them toward peace:
"So she commanded. He obeyed her, glad at heart.
And Athena handed down her pacts of peace
between both sides for all the years to come"
- The Odyssey (Robert Fagles, Book XXIV)
So, while Nolan gives Odysseus an epilogue, the text ends with a divine pact of peace. Before being outraged by this change, consider that in either version, Odysseus's journey ends with peace. This is the final destination, symbolically, and in both cases, it works. The text also depicts Odysseus's sorrow, with him often crying when considering the events of Troy and his subsequent journey: "weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home."
What Happens To 'The Odyssey's Characters After the Story Ends?
It's important to note that the Greek myths are folklore with different depictions by writers throughout history, told in tragic plays, other epic poems, and more. It's also worth noting that The Odyssey and The Iliad are the only surviving poems from the Greek "epic cycle," meaning the others are sadly lost to time and cannot be directly cited. For the purpose of keeping this concise, I'm going to focus on stories from only the Ancient Greeks.
- Telemachus: In the lost poem, the Telegony, Telemachus learns of Odysseus's second son, Telegonus, whom he had with Circe (Samantha Morton) on his return voyage. In this story, Telegonus accidentally kills Odysseus and marries Penelope, as Telemachus marries Circe. Bizarre, right?
- Menelaus: After what we see in The Odyssey, there's not much left regarding the story of Menelaus (Jon Bernthal). Much of the discussion surrounding his fate regards his relationship with Helen (Lupita Nyong'o) upon their return to Sparta. Some historians argue that they bore no ill-will for each other and lived out their days, while others suggest a more rocky relationship. Christopher Nolan, evidently, leaned toward the latter.
- Helen: Unlike her husband, the stories of Helen are vast and rather unyielding. There are tragic plays that depict various events for her, and some claim that she was never even in Troy, but rather in Egypt. Some depictions claim she returned to Greece to be executed, that she was kicked out of Sparta by Menelaus's sons, or that she ascended to godhood.
- Circe: In Hesiod's Theogony, a poem that examined the lineage of the gods, Circe and Odysseus had three children during his stay on her island. This may be strange to film viewers, as Christopher Nolan left the romantic relationship often attributed to the pair out of his version. In the Telegony, she makes Telemachus, Telegonus, and Penelope immortal.
- Calypso: According to the aforementioned Theogony, Calypso also had two children with Odysseus during his seven-year captivity.
What 'The Odyssey' Is Really About
After Odysseus's return to Ithaca and reunion with Penelope comes to pass, viewers may be wondering, what did all of that mean? In truth, it would be hard to summarize the themes of The Odyssey in a brief outro paragraph. This is, as I said, the seminal epic; the story of a journey home. The Odyssey's roots are so deeply ingrained in our cultural psyche that it almost feels silly to assign it themes.
Christopher Nolan's movie homes in on Odysseus's attempt to escape the dread of war and return home, but it's impossible to discuss this story without looking at the broader picture: The Odyssey is a tale of what it means to be human. It's a story about resilience, the effort to retain one's sense of self through ever-escalating struggle, maintaining moral virtue and resisting temptation when all seems lost. Odysseus is a Greek "hero," but we must consider what that means, not through our lens, but through the Greeks'.
When you consider a "hero" in the modern day, you think of Superman, but the Greeks named heroes for their great deeds and accomplishments, rather than moral virtue. Odysseus is a great man. And yet, he is not perfect. Odysseus makes mistakes; he gloats; he grieves; he fails. He commits acts and condones others that we might not consider virtuous, but that is because he is human. And at the end of the day, despite everything, because he is human, he endures.
