The Odyssey and Big Fish

‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Big Fish’
In what ways has Homer’s Odyssey influenced your chosen epic? Homer’s Odyssey is full of themes and ideas, many that have influenced the modern world today. The ideas have been portrayed in various books, movies or epics. The epic i chose is ‘Big Fish’. It is a movie directed by Tim burton and it features a lot of themes and ideas that were in the odyssey, and i believe it was highly influenced by it. There are many similarities between Odysseus and Edward’s wives. They both have great love and affection for their husbands, and would gladly do anything for them. They know that they are their soul mates, and would never do anything to jeopardize their relationships. They are completely faithful, even in times of separation. Although, Odysseus was gone for twenty years while fighting sea monsters and a giant Cyclops, and Edward was gone on business, the idea is the same. The wives kept everything normal at home, and welcomed the men home with open arms. They missed them more than anything, and yet stayed completely loyal and faithful. Their hearts ached for their loved ones’ return, and nothing could make them happier. Their love and passion brought their husbands home. It was his love for Penelope, that made Odysseus return to Ithaca. Sandra kept Edward coming back. He would really enjoy the places that he visited, and would have even lived there if not for his loving, beautiful wife to keep him coming back home. Another similarity is of the ‘mistresses’. When Edward is young he comes across a town called Spectre, there he meets a young girl called Jenny who started to like him. Years later, when working as a salesman, he returns to Spectre and finds jenny living in a dilapidated house, he took pity on her and left his family in order to help Jenny fix her house. Jenny eventually confesses her love for him, but Edward’s love for his family prevents him from committing to her. Jenny is not as manipulative as Circe, from the odyssey, but she still falls in love with a married man and finds ways to keep him around. Edward and Odysseus both care for Jenny and Circe, but their love for their wives outweighs the affection. Big fish also has subtle elements of Greek mythology. When Edward is young, he meets a one­eyed witch who can see the future and tells him how he will die, this is just like the way Tiresias predicts Odysseus's future. Edward also comes across mythical creatures like the giant, who resembles the cyclops. Themes and ideas like these make the two epics really similar and is why i believe that ‘Big Fish’ is influenced by ‘The Odyssey’.