Odysseus O Brother Where Art Thou

The part I liked most about O Brother, Where Art Thou in relation to the Odyssey is the way George Clooney's character brings out the silver tongue aspect of Odysseus' act. He uses jargon and 'big words' that befuddle and charm anyone he directs his words toward. For example, in one of the first scenes of the movie, Everett tries to befuddle the other escapees into electing him as their leader by throwing difficult words at them. To be honest, I was surprised they understood him enough to understand that he was asking to vote on the matter. I never really understood what Odysseus being the smartest and most strategic of group meant while reading the Odyssey. However, O Brother, Where Art Thou did a wonderful job of bringing out this characteristic of Odysseus in a modern context in which the audience could understand better.

Another characteristic that the movie did a good job bringing out of Odysseus' character was his ruthlessness in doing whatever he has to to get where he wanted to go. We find out that Everett never actually had a treasure to go find. He just told Pete and Delmar what they wanted to hear and whatever he needed to to get them to commit to escaping with him. He knew how to manipulate the two in a way that would inspire them to help him (because they think they are helping themselves). This is similar to Odysseus' and Athena's manipulation of Nausicaa.

I find it interesting how different mediums can change the way the audience experiences and views characters' failings and strengths. Perhaps, the difference in opinion about a certain trait has more to do with the narrator's/storyteller's/producer's aim than just a change in medium. We have talked about in class how Homer still holds the ability to downplay the horrifying actions of the characters we are supposed to feel bad for.