O, Brother Where Art Thou Vs The Odyssey by Homer The Odyssey by Homer is a Greek epic poem based on its main character Odysseus and it took place in the classical Greece. The book was composed in the eight century B.C.E, after the events it describes, and narrates several adventures with the objective of its main character to return home with his family. Moreover, the movie O, Brother Where Art Thou was published in the year 2000 and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. The movie also narrates the adventures of its main character Ulysses, interpreted by George Clooney, a prisoner that escaped from jail with two partners. Consequently, the film and the movie have its similarities and differences, but at the end the movie was absolutely based on the book. The similarities between the movie and the book are revealed in the whole story. In the first place, either the movie or the book, both starts with an invocation to the Musse, the goddesses of literature, science, and art in the Greek mythology. For instance, the book begins with an invocation to the daughter of Zeus ‘’ Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy’’; the invocation is appealing for the story of a man that have travelled and fight with bravery (Homer, The Odyssey, p. 4, Book I). The movie also starts with an invocation; ‘’Oh Muse! Sing in me, and trough me tell the story of that man skilled in all the ways of contending, a wanderer, harried
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
The poem “The Odyssey” details the story of a man named Odysseus who went through many trials and tribulations while trying to get home to his family. In the past, many stories, movies, and other works of literature have based its plot around the story: “The Odyssey”. However, there is one movie that stands out as unique and its title is “O Brother Where Art Thou”. The producers, Joel and Ethan Coen, did a wonderful job in making actor Ulysses Everett McGill represent Odysseus. Everett from “O Brother Where Art Thou” and Odysseus from Homer’s “The Odyssey” are very similar in many ways, but contrast in multiple qualities and characteristics as well.
Another undeniable parallel between both tales is the importance of one’s journey. Homer’s Odyssey is far more than an epic of a man “who wandered far and wide” across the sea, it is rather an archetypal journey with universal, as well as timeless themes. That is
The amazing epic poem by Homer entitled “The Odyssey” shares many similarities and many differences as well with the Hallmark movie of the same name. The epic poem is about the hero Odysseus who has spent twenty long years filled with toil and loss, through war and sea desperate to return to his home of Ithaca. Odysseus has angered some of the gods and goddesses of a Greek Mythology with his destruction of the mighty city of Troy. Odysseus is represented in the poem and the movie, but there are several differences between the two in the events he encountered. There are also numerous similarities
A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of the most ferocious opponents known to the Greeks. Even through this formidable journey, Odysseus and his family have stayed true to the diverse aspects of the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey exemplifies the human ideals of hospitality, loyalty and
The Odyssey movie and book had many differences and similarities. This story is very interesting and it was even more beautiful seeing it in a movie. I wish that the movie and book were more alike than they were. The book had way more detail than the book in my opinion. I'm gonna list some of the similarities and differences i noticed watching and reading this story.
Odysseus is the genius tactician whom Everett is modeled after. In the movie O’ Brother Where Art Thou, Everett is extremely similar to Odysseus. Everett is comparably much smarter than those around him, like Odysseus, and believes in his own power. He is also surrounded by people who want to betray him or hurt him, and uses similar methods of not being caught. Also, they both fully believe they are better than and don't need others. Everett and Odysseus also both only want to get back to their wives while they still hold slight concern for their companions. Everett in the movie O’ Brother Where Art Thou is made to be like Odysseus because they are both intelligent, narcissistic and have the same goal.
There are many reasons to believe that O Brother, Where Art Thou is a movie based upon the events that took place during Homer’s The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a story about Odysseus and his adventure home after the Trojan War. O Brother, Where Art Thou was about the journey of Ulysses and his two partners escaping from prison. Both Odysseus and Ulysses were trying to reach home so they could see their families again. The blind man on the railroad tracks toward the beginning represented the blind prophet Teiresias. Both prophets give bad news. Odysseus is told it will take him many years to reach home. Ulysses is told he will not reach the treasure he seeks. The cousin that turned Ulysses and his two prison mates Delmar and Pete in for the reward represents the Circe turning
When comparing the Odyssey and the movie, there are various points in which are very similar but not exactly accurate. For example, In the beginning of both the Odyssey and in the movie, Odysseus from the "Odyssey" and Everett from the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" both are trying to find a way of trying to get home. However, they achieve their similar goals differently. Athena in Book 1 of the Odyssey appeals to Zeus for permission to help Odysseus to get back home in which is being overrun by suitors. Everett, on the contrary, escapes with Pete and Delmar who are attached to him with chains convincing them that he is going to split a treasure that he has hidden in a car that
Book to movie adaptations have been an increasingly popular style of film. Many believe that the integrity of book to movie adaptations are lost when films are not exact replicas of the book. However, adaptations are a form of interpretation that involve some means of redesigning and reconstruction to convert them into a different art form. In this paper I will argue the reasons why I agree with the claim that O, Brother Where Art Thou is based on the epic The Odyssey.
Let's begin with the most basic and obvious similarities, the movie and the book both begin with the same line " Sing in me O muse." The Greek name Odysseus translates to the name Ulysses in Latin. Odysseus's goal in the book is to
Time has not become the conqueror for the classical epic poem The Odyssey. For the past 2,500 years it has been turning its pages for many people all around the world, classifying it as the Western literary tradition. Even in the 21st century The Odyssey is still depicting its prominence when the film O Brother, Where Art Thou was directed in 2000 by loosely portraying the epic. The Coen Brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou mirrors themes, motifs, and symbols from Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Both creative works recount the twists and turns of a man’s journey home. But was it a relevant successful relation between the two? I tend to think so. The movie O Brother, Where
The film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a reinterpretation of the epic poem The Odyssey. The Coen brothers, writers and directors of the film, did not over analyze their representation. “It just sort of occurred to us after we’d gotten into it somewhat that it was a story about someone going home, and sort of episodic in nature, and it kind of evolved into that,” says Joel Coen in Blood Siblings, “It’s very loosely and very sort of unseriously based on The Odyssey” (Woods 32). O Brother, Where Art Thou? contains ideas from The Odyssey for the sake of modernization and entertainment of an audience that comprehends the allusions to the epic. The Coen brothers utilize elements of Homer’s The Odyssey to improve and to give direction to O
The movie, O’ Brother, Where Art Thou, is an old-timey film based on Homer’s The Odyssey. The plot and characters are all loosely drawn from the ancient Greek myth, but is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The result is an original film filled with adventure, interesting characters, and side-splitting comedy. The George Clooney stars as the main character, Ulysses Everett McGill, with his two man crew, Pete and Delmar, as they trek across Mississippi in search of “treasure” and encounter many of the same trials and troubles that are told about in the myth of Odysseus.
Most people have fixed concept that modern day films and Medieval Greek Epic poems differ a lot as if they are black and white, but the film O Brother, Where Art Thou and the story of The Odyssey are both parallel and perpendicular. O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Odyssey portray their story on the same path, yet on the branched path.