10 Differences Between The Odyssey and the Poem

10 Differences Between The Odyssey and the Poem

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most notable differences between Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” and Homer’s epic poem - primarily the version that Emily Wilson translated. Spoilers on both fronts.

The Bag of Winds

Nolan’s film includes many of the mythical elements from Homer’s story, although the Bag of Winds is notably omitted. In the source material, Aeolus, ruler of the winds, gifts the bag to Odysseus. Just as Odysseus and his crew are about to reach home, his men unwisely open the bag, assuming that there’s treasure inside. In the ultimate “Oh come on!” moment, their ship is sent all the way back to the island of Aeolia. While Odysseus begs him for further help, Aeolus refuses, seeing his setback as a bad omen from the gods. Nolan leaves out this chapter, which likely would’ve slowed the pacing in a nearly three-hour film. Still, funny that the bag of winds appears in the “SpongeBob” movie, but not here.

Antinous Isn’t the First to Die

Of the 108 suitors looking to take Odysseus’ place as Penelope’s husband, Antinous may be the most pompous and conniving. Robert Pattinson does an exceptional job conveying this, making it all the more satisfying when Antinous gets his comeuppance. While Antinous ultimately meets the same grim fate, his demise plays out differently in the poem. Antinous takes an arrow to the neck, being the first of the suitors to fall as Odysseus reclaims his home. In the movie, Odysseus’ killing spree does commence with a suitor getting shot through the throat, but this isn’t Antinous. His death is saved for later in the battle, which makes narrative sense. Since Antinous is the suitor we’ve come to loathe the most, his downfall should be savored.

The Cyclops Encounter

Like in the poem, Odysseus and his men become trapped in a cave with a cyclops. While this part of the film is mostly faithful, Nolan makes a few changes. Although the Cyclops can speak, it’s in a language that the crew can’t understand. As such, the Cyclops doesn’t ask Odysseus his name. Odysseus replies, “Nobody,” in the source material. The poem sees Odysseus trick the Cyclops, who drunkenly dozes off. Odysseus’ men seize this opportunity to blind the Cyclops with a stake, escaping. In the film, Odysseus blinds the Cyclops with his bow and arrow while making a break for it. One crew member mentions that the Cyclops is the son of Poseidon, but Nolan doesn’t spell out whether this is truly Polyphemus.

Calypso

Charlize Theron plays Calypso, the nymph who seeks to trap Odysseus on the island of Ogygia with her for eternity. While Calypso’s goal is essentially the same, this section of the film combines different elements from the poem. The source material sees Calypso manipulate Odysseus with her singing and weaving. In Nolan’s adaptation, Calypso feeds Odysseus lotuses, causing him to forget about his past life. The poem included an episode in which Odysseus’ men arrive at the island of Lotus-eaters, getting sidetracked as their memories are blurred. Nolan repurposes that part of the poem here. The poem also has Hermes intervene on Zeus’ orders, forcing Calypso to free Odysseus. The film removes Hermes, with Calypso instead making the conscious decision to let Odysseus go.

Circe

Samantha Morton is another standout as Circe, the witch who shares a meal with Odysseus’ men, only to turn them into pigs. Eurylochus doesn’t fall for Circe’s trick in the poem, but in the film, Odysseus is the only one who doesn’t get the hog treatment. Again, the poem sees Hermes come to the rescue, providing Odysseus with moly as protection and telling him how to subdue Circe. In Nolan’s version, Odysseus pieces together that Circe has turned his men into swine, forcing her to change them back right then and there. This section of the film otherwise stays close to the source material, although Nolan excludes the part where Odysseus remains on the island for another year and becomes Circe’s lover.

The Family Reunion

The poem and film culminate in Odysseus at long last reuniting with his wife Penelope. Both versions also have Odysseus present himself as a beggar upon returning home before revealing his true identity. In the movie, though, it’s implied that Penelope begins to suspect that the beggar is her husband as he talks about the regrettable actions he committed at Troy. Penelope confirms this when she presents her suitors with a test, which only Odysseus can pass with his bow. While that is from the poem, Penelope needed further proof in the original story. She gave Odysseus one more test, asking him to move their bed. Odysseus tells Penelope that their bed can’t be moved, which finally convinces her.

Where’s Laertes?

For all the characters that Nolan’s adaptation juggles, quite a few figures get sent adrift. For example, Laertes, Odysseus’ elderly father, is the one Penelope is taking her time weaving a shroud for. Towards the poem’s conclusion, Odysseus reunites with his dad, together standing up against the families of the suitors who were slain. Laertes is basically a no-show in Nolan’s version, and he isn’t Odysseus’ only missing parent. In Homer’s account, Odysseus is nearly reunited with his mother Anticlea until the bag of winds throws them off course. Homer sees his mother again while he passes through the underworld. Grief took Anticlea’s life, but she’s given a chance to catch Odysseus up on what he missed. Not in Nolan’s movie, however.

A More Complex Odysseus

Be it Dom Cobb in “Inception” or Joseph Cooper in “Interstellar,” men who become lost and separated from their families are common in Nolan’s filmography. So, naturally, Odysseus is written with the same complexities as Nolan’s other protagonists. In the original tale, the gods primarily stand in the way of Odysseus returning home. In Nolan’s interpretation, Odysseus gets in his own way. As much as he yearns to see his family again, Odysseus also fears how his experiences have changed him. Having committed atrocities, he may no longer be the man that Penelope fell in love with. Likewise, Penelope is written with more nuance, not only exploring her longing for Odysseus’ return, but also her frustration at receiving little respect despite being queen.

Are the Gods Real?

Hermes is just one of the numerous Greek gods from Homer’s poem who aren’t in Nolan’s picture. While Zeus and Poseidon are mentioned, Zendaya’s Athena is the only one who appears on screen. Even then, Athena only comes to Odysseus as he grows isolated and delirious, implying that she might be a figment of his imagination. This is further suggested when Odysseus recounts the innocent lives lost at Troy, one of whom was a young woman also played by Zendaya. Maybe this is just the form Athena decided to take while presenting herself to Odysseus, but it seems more likely that she’s a manifestation of our hero’s guilt. In any case, there’s more ambiguity about the gods, putting Odysseus in charge of his destiny.

The Ending

Speaking of Athena, she intervenes in the poem’s final act, stopping the families of the dead suitors from taking revenge. Since Athena may or may not be real in the film, though, matters aren’t quite as easily resolved. Odysseus still gets his happy ending with his beloved Penelope, but he doesn’t reclaim his place on the throne. Rather, he goes into exile with Penelope, beginning another journey on the sea. Meanwhile, their son Telemachus is made king. Nolan also overlooks the events of the Telegony, a mostly lost epilogue of sorts where Telegonus, the son that Odysseus had with Circe, kills his father. Telegonus’s half-brother then becomes his stepfather, as Telemachus marries Circe. Have fun tackling that in the sequel, Nolan!

What did you think of these changes? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments.