The Odyssey, by Homer is a expansive heroic poem verse form that tells the narrative of the Greek hero, Odysseus, and his journey place to Ithaca following the autumn of Troy. This oft told heroic journey is a common and popular literary secret plan ; one around which many movies have been fashioned. The film O Brother Where Art Thou? , directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, exhibits many similarities to Homer ‘s heroic poem narrative, get downing with a interlingual rendition of the first line, which is displayed during the gap credits:
“ O Muse!
Singing in me, and through me tell the narrative
Of that adult male skilled in all the ways of contending,
A roamer, harried for old ages on terminal aˆ¦ ” 1
The brothers Coen go on to really give recognition to Homer ‘s Odyssey, but is one truly based on the other? The Coen brothers themselves have at times diversely denied of all time holding read the Odyssey or admitted to borrowing to a great extent from it.2 Janice Segal, in her article comparing the similarities between the plants, points out that the “ tweaking… [ of the usual ] interlingual rendition of the verse form ‘s gap line… intimations of farther autonomies to come in the Coens ‘ version. “ 2 By looking closely at O Brother where Art Thou? we will see Homer ‘s Odyssey and compare the two.
The movie begins with Ulysses McGill Everett and his two cohorts, Delbert O’Donnell and Pete Hogwallup, get awaying from a concatenation pack. The scene is rural Mississippi during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Everett has enticed Pete and Delbert to get away with him by assuring them each a portion in a $ 1.2 million hoarded wealth that he has stashed off. Purportedly, Everett stole the money from an armoured auto and buried it in a vale that is now due to be flooded as portion of a TWA hydroelectric undertaking. The three ‘s pursuit is to recover the hoarded wealth before the vale is flooded in a merely few yearss clip. Odysseus, our hero in Homer ‘s Odyssey, begins his 10 twelvemonth journey place after the war with Troy with a break-out, as good. Odysseus, after being blown off class and ship wrecked on his journey back to Ithaca, winds up being held on Calypso ‘s island, against his will. With the aid and intercession of the Gods, Athena and Zeus, Calypso eventually allows Odysseus to get away his captivity.4
We find out subsequently in the movie that Everett ‘s true pursuit is to return place and forestall his darling Penny ( typically a moniker for Penelope ) , who has divorced Everett during his captivity, from get marrieding a bona fide suer, Vernon T. Waldrop. Penny, it seems, has told everyone, including Everett ‘s ain girls, that he has been hit by a train and is dead. The narrative of the hoarded wealth was merely a artifice to convert Delmar and Pete, who were chained to Everett, to get away with him. Similarly, Odysseus is besides seeking to acquire place to his ain beloved Penelope. She has been besieged by suers of her ain, who believe, because of Odysseus ‘ drawn-out absence, that he excessively, must surly be dead.
There look to be mentions to the Odyssey in the Coens ‘ usage of names, every bit good. Everett is seeking to return place to Ithaca, Mississippi, while Odysseus is seeking to do his manner place to Ithaca, Greece. In add-on to the similarity of Penny and Penelope ‘s names, Everett ‘s ain first name, Ulysses besides bears a connexion to Odysseus. In Virgil ‘s ‘ Aeneid, Odysseus ‘s name takes on the Latin signifier, Ulysses.5
Unable to skip aboard a cargo train to do their flight, the three hitches a drive with an old blind adult male working a manus auto down the path. Everett, Pete and Delmar are enthralled as he begins to prophesize about their journey and the obstructions they will meet along the manner.
“ You seek a great luck, you three who are now in ironss. . . . And you will happen a fortune-though it will non be the luck you seek. . . . But first, you
must travel-a long and hard road-a route fraught with hazard. “ 6
The allusion here, of class, is to Teiresias, the old blind visionary in the Odyssey. Odysseus seeks out Teiresias when he visits the underworld. Teiresias prophesizes to Odysseus about his journey, and warns him of the hazards that he and his crew will confront in much the same manner.
“ Glorious Odysseus, what you are after is sweet homecoming, but the God will do it difficult for you. I think you will non get away the Shaker of the Earth, who holds a score against you in his bosom… still you might come back, after much agony… if you contain your ain desire and… maintain your head on homecoming. “ 7
The changeless adversary Poseidon or the gods/ the Sherriff
Along the manner, the three comes across a group of white clothed Baptist churchs, intoning and walking trance-like towards the river. As they watch the fold being immersed in the H2O and baptized one by one, both Delmar and Pete are overcome with emotion and haste into the H2O to make the same. Believing that the good Lord has “ warshed ” all their wickednesss off, Pete and Delmar emerge from the river with somewhat boggy undersides, but lighter Black Marias at peace. Everett is gibelike of the brace and tells them that the province of Mississippi will be “ a bit more difficult nosed ” on the issue of forgiveness.8 The mention here, is to the Lotus-eaters that Odysseus and his crew come upon during their travels. Once a few work forces from his crew have eaten from the white Nelumbo nucifera flower, a works that grows with its roots in the H2O, they feel at peace and want to remain with The Lotus Eaters, burying about their journey. Odysseus has to coerce his work forces to return to their ship and go on the journey.9 Neither Everett or Odysseus partake of the sweet “ redemption ” of the river or the Nelumbo nucifera flower, and both must press their crew members to on with their continue their pursuit.
Everett, Pete and Delmar pick up a immature black instrumentalist, Tommy Johnson, who tells them that he is on his manner to “ sing in the can ” of a wireless phonograph record jockey for money. Enticed by the thought of easy money, they accompany him to the station and organize an impromptu singing group, the Soggy Bottom Boys. They hide their true individualities by giving false names and when the old, blind disc jockey asks if they can sing that old-timey music, Everett says that is precisely what they specialize in. The phonograph record jockey likes their sound and they record a vocal called “ Man of Constant Sorrow. ” This adult male of changeless sorrow is surely a mention to Homer ‘s Odysseus. In the Odyssey, Homer repeatedly refers to Odysseus as a “ adult male of suffering ” 10 or “ full of sorrow ” 11 or “ long agony ” 12, peculiarly when Demodokos, the unsighted bard, sings of the feats of Odysseus, who has kept his ain individuality a secret from the dwellers of the island Scheria. When Odysseus can non maintain from crying at the retelling of his ain narrative, those assembled Begin to inquire merely who this alien is in their thick. As Odysseus eventually reveals his true individuality to the Phaiakians assembled at the castle of King Alkinoos, he laments “ many are the sorrows the Gods of the sky hold given me. “ 13
The three Sirens rinsing in the river that our three heroes run into up with in the movie could be a combination of Circe and the Sirens that Odysseus and his crew must sail yesteryear. First Pete, so Delmar and Everett are lured off the route and into the wood by the sound of the Sirens sitting on the smooth stony flats of a nearby river, and singing as they wash their apparels. The adult females enchant the three with their vocalizing and promote them to imbibe spirits from their jugs. When Delmar and Everett awake the following forenoon, to their horror, they discover nil is left of Pete, but his apparels. When a frog hops out of Pete ‘s shirt, Delmar is convinced the Sirens have turned Pete into a frog. Everett is disbelieving, but however, allows Delmar to transport the frog along with them in a shoebox. Circe, the girl of Helios, the Sun God, was a enchantress known for her charming powers and usage of potions. When Odysseus ‘ crew went up to research Circe ‘s island, Aiaia, they came upon her place, made of smooth rocks. She invited them in to a repast, and laced their drink with one of her charming drugs. As they eat and drink she turns them all into swine. One of the crew, Eurylochos, did non come in with the others, so that he was able to return to Odysseus and warn him. Again, with the aid from a God ( this clip Hermes ) Odysseus is able to return to Circe, avoid her charming powers, and procure the release of his men.14 Everett and Delmar finally find out that Pete was non, in fact, turned into a frog. The Sirens had turned Pete in to the governments in exchange for the wages money. Finally Everett and Delmar, like Odysseus, were able to procure their friend ‘s release.
Large Dan Teague, the one eyed bible salesman is encountered by the three in a eating house ( a flop of Homer appears in the background ) along the manner. Large Dan is a really big adult male, seen eating at a tabular array entirely. He introduces himself to Everett, Pete and Delmar and proposes an enticing concern proposition and suggests that they move to “ more private environments ” out in the state to discourse it. Big Dan ‘s character is a mention to the Cyclops, Polyphemus, in whose cave Odysseus and his work forces go trapped. Polyphemus is a lone shepherd who tends a flock of sheep. He becomes enraged when he finds that Odysseus ‘s work forces have been eating his shops of meat and cheeses and he begins to dine on Odysseus ‘s men.15 Big Dan, excessively, is a shepherd of kinds, who provides his “ sheep ” with “ replies from the book that ‘s got ’em ” the Holy Bible. When Large Dan finishes his repast, he reaches up and effortlessly pulls of a elephantine tree subdivision and begins to crush hapless Delmar with it. Everett, non rather groking, asks “ What ‘s traveling on large Dan? ” Harmonizing to Toscana, there is a parallel subject of expected xenia on the portion of both our heroes. “ Hospitality for the antediluvian and modern roamers is cardinal. The bible-selling Cyclops betrays them, repeating a similar concern in Homer. “ 16 Scott Belsky agrees in his article “ Odysseus works on an narcissistic and defective belief that the greater universe works in alliance with his ain worldview [ and ] he expects the kind of intervention he would afford his ain invitees. “ 17
King of Sparta and Pappy O’Daniel ‘s first name is Menelaus
The scene in the theater is like Odysseus falling into the underworld.
Everett calls himself “ the old candidate or the old tactician like Odysseus
Everett ‘s Dapper Dan pomatum is a mention to Odysseus ‘s pride.
Everett is glib and delusory like Odysseus
Everett returns place in camouflage as an old adult male
inundation and H2O subjects
Ulysses and Odysseus both cleaving to wood during a inundation.
Everett vanquishes his married woman ‘s suers, but still must go through a “ trial ” by his married woman
End Notes
1. O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000. DVD. Directed by Joel Coen. Written by Ethan Coen. Produced by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. Music by T Bone Burnett. Touchstone Pictures.
2. Robson, Eddie. Coen Brothers. London: Virgin, 2003. Print. ( 204 )
3. Siegel, Janice. “ The Coens ‘ O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Homer ‘s Odyssey. ” Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada 7.3 ( 2007 ) : 213-245. Undertaking MUSE. 17 Aug. 2010 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //muse.jhu.edu/ & gt ; . ( 213 )
4. Homer. The Odyssey of Homer. Trans. Richmond Alexander Lattimore. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2007. Print. ( Book V )
5. Cotterell, Arthur & A ; Rachel Storm, Ed. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology. ( 2006 ) Print. ( 66 )
6. Ruppersburg, Hugh. “ “ Oh, so many startlements… ” : History, Race, and Myth in O Brother, Where Art Thou? . ” Southern Cultures 9.4 ( 2003 ) : 5-26. Undertaking MUSE. 21 Sep. 2010 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //muse.jhu.edu/ & gt ; . ( 10 )
7. Homer. ( 90-135 )
8. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
9. Homer. ( IX, 90-135 )
10. Homer. ( VI, 217 )
12. Homer. ( VI, 1,133,177 ; VIII, 446 )
13. Homer. ( IX, 15 )
14. Homer. ( Ten, 135-574 )
15. Homer
16. Toscano, Margaret M. “ Homer Meets the Coen Brothers: Memory as Artistic Pastiche in O Brother, Where Art Thou? . ” Film & A ; History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies 39.2 ( 2009 ) : 49-62. Undertaking MUSE. 21 Sep. 2010 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //muse.jhu.edu/ & gt ; . ( 50 )
17. Belsky, Scott A. “ The Poet Who Sings Through Us: Homer ‘s Influence in Contemporary Western Culture ” College Literature 34.2 ( 6/1/2007 ) 216. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.
