Essay Comparing O Brother Where Art Thou And Odysseus

Odysseus and Percy are similar because they both are stuck with the Lotus Eaters and must help their friends escape by forcing them. Odysseus must force his men off the island, “Those

In both Homer’s The Odyssey and the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? the audience is given an opportunity to experience a spectacular adventure, filled with not only the sense of journey, but also the senses of peril and excitement. A tale about a Greek hero being compared to a film set in Middle America starring three jail-escapees seems rather far-fetched. However, upon closer inspection, both actually share a lot in common. The Odyssey stars Odysseus, a man famous for his heroics in the Trojan War. O Brother, Where Art Thou? shows a bit of a contrast by starring Ulysses, a former convict who escaped and began looking for “A Treasure”. So by default, one would assume that that these two stories would be completely different. However, it

One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.

Odysseus and Ullysseus Everett McGill are similar characters because of their perseverance, cleverness, and their leadership abilities.

When Shakespeare composed the tragedy Othello televisions were not. Along with no televisions, life in the late 1500s had many different qualities than it does today. This time period had no war on drugs and no high school shootings. Peer pressure was not an issue. The audiences of Othello in the 1500s did not face the circumstances that we, American high school students, face today. With these significant differences in daily life, come the attempts of movie creators to help prevent our modern day tragedies.

These mystical creatures prey on sailors by seducing them to their death through song. Their mesmerizing lyrics illustrate that the seafarer is “pleased by each purling note/like honey twining/from her throat and my throat” (Homer 12.289-30). Men cannot help but to indulge in the sweetness of their voices, however Kirke’s advice allows the men to prepare for, and ultimately avoid the temptation. With Odysseus fastened to the mast and his men’s ears blocked with wax, they are able to resist the haunting echoes and continue on their journey. They are able to escape not only further distraction, but more importantly the deathly fate that these femme fatales exhibit. It is grotesquely described that, “there are bones of dead men rotting in a pile beside them and flayed skins shrivel around the spot” (Homer 12.54-6). This morbidly alludes to the fatal destiny of those that cannot resist the bewitching cries of the sirens. These mythical creatures are fabricated to once again represent a predatory woman that destroys innocent men. They are commonly used throughout literature as a seductive temptation, and their role in The Odyssey is no different. Odysseus’ will-power to resist the attraction translates to his strength and glory as a

After meeting “Babyface Nelson” Everett and his crew encounter the “Sirens” (Brother). In the movie, the Sirens are nothing but seductive beautiful women who are not very dangerous in matters of life and death. The only danger that comes from them is Pete getting captured by the authorities and “turned into” a frog. However in “The Odyssey”, the Sirens pose a deadly threat: if anyone hears the Sirens’ signing, they will immediately abandon ship and swim to the monsters, where they will be inevitably eaten. After receiving warnings made by the witch Circe, Odysseus prepares for the Sirens, as he has to cross through them no matter what (The Odyssey). He goes to cover his shipmates’ ears with wax and orders them to tie him down to the mast even, as he needs to hear the creatures’ voices (The Odyssey). As a last study, the arrival home of the heroes also

Compare and contrast Oedipus and Hamlet. Is Oedipus more a man of action? Or is he more a man driven by whim and sudden, rash decisions? Which character is more selfless? Does Hamlet show any signs of selfish motives in his actions or inactions? Which protagonist seems more learned? wiser? more religious? more loving? more incestuous? Which seems to be a better murder investigator? Does Oedipus have any of Claudius' motives when he kills the king, Laius? Then which murderer is more blameworthy--Oedipus or Claudius?

The Odyssey by Homer and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens are two indisputable timeless classics. Although the plot, setting, and character differ, numerous details make the stories parallel. Pip and Odysseus may be from separate times but they both were faced with the challenge of leaving a place they saw as home. Although they are strong, Pip and Odysseus could not do it on their own and had help from an outside force. Even as a hero, Pip and Odysseus still show attachment to their families.

The Character that represents Odysseus is Gerard Butler. Gerard Butler is in a movie called 300 it’s basically like The Odyssey. They are in a similar way because they are both on the same journey and they both fight off things/people like the Troy War in The Odyssey and then in 300 they take the same journey they fight until they are all dead or until they don’t have any problems. Gerard Butler is similar to Odysseus because they both have the same characteristics and they both take journey’s and the similar comparison is that Odysseus leaves for the war in Troy and it was called the trojan war and the war was similar expect the names and the name is 300 and they have the similar act because they both fight. The both comparison is that both of them take a journey and find their way back home.

Sandy Rowan Sandy Christina Cannon English 1102 4 March 2018 Other People’s Cups Both Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice are well known for their tragic endings. At the end of each play, both of the main characters have suffered great loss to the point of no recovery. These endings are, unfortunately, a semi-accurate depiction of very possible outcomes to anybody: bad things happen to good people. Although the endings of these two main characters are irredeemably unhappy, the lives of the rest of those in each play has their own chances. There is a theme of deterioration within Sophocles’s Oedipus the King.

While reading Hamlet it is hard to see any theme of humanity, any small trait of what it means to be human. This is a play not filled with joy, laughter, and all that s good, but rather is packed with monstrous deeds and despicable acts. Murder, treachery, madness, and suicide are only some of the recurring themes throughout the play. Yet, as with the Pandora’s box of myth, despite all the evils there is still that small speck of something good, of something human in nature.

While Harry is mild tempered and humble in his doings, Odysseus is hot-headed and disingenuous. Harry tends to hold his fears and feelings deep inside while Odysseus uses his anger to defeat his enemies. Harry is very loyal, almost to a point where it becomes his weakness while Odysseus doesn’t like keeping anyone near his heart and kills unmercifully. While sharing the main character role, Harry and Odysseus share very little else. One final comparison between the novels is that of the epic poem format.

Although many influential pieces of world literature were made long ago, modern works still echo the great aspects that defined them. O Brother, Where Art Thou, a movie by Ethan and Joel Coen, has been greatly impacted by The Odyssey, a poem by Homer. In the film, the protagonist, Ulysses Everett McGill, resembles the qualities of the epic hero, Odysseus. Both characters encounter obstacles and enemies that are almost the same in every aspect. The stories begin in media res with the same opening by a muse. The Odyssey opened up with, “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallow heights of Troy” (Homer 77).

Although Agamemnon contrasts Penelope and Clytemnestra in passage two, in reality the women are more alike than different because they both control their emotions, wear masks of deceit, and are worthy of fame and song. These qualities make Penelope and Clytemnestra more similar to the soldier than the wife in the first passage.