Preview

A Close Look at the Two Main Characters in the Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou?

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
994 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Close Look at the Two Main Characters in the Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou?
A Close Look at the Two Main Characters in The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou? Homer’s The Odyssey has been known to have influenced many novels and movies, one of which is the Coen Brothers’ 2000 film, O Brother Where Art Thou?. This movie is known to be loosely based on the poem The Odyssey and it is evident through the movie’s plot and characters. What leads us to see the connection of this film to The Odyssey, though, are the similarities between the leading characters; Odysseus in The Odyssey and Ulysses in O Brother Where Art Thou?. They share similar personalities as well as a run into similar circumstances. However, they come to be different when taking a closer look at their families and religious beliefs. The first obvious similarity between Everett and Odysseus is their name. Ulysses is known as Ulysses Everett McGill. Ulysses is Latin for Odysseus. Although the two characters are from two different eras, their names show clearly the connection between them. Both men are seen as adventurous, having one main objective; to re-unite with their families. Their personalities are also almost identical in that both travel alongside friends whom they do not completely trust. For instance, the bag of wind given to Odysseus by Aeolus was never revealed to Odysseus’ comrades until they themselves had to find out what was in it (Hamilton, p291). In O Brother Where Art Thou?, Ulysses doesn’t trust his friends about being baptized for the sake of being purified and feeling better about yourself (O Brother Where Art Thou?, 2000). Both Odysseus and Ulysses are also seen as men with great determination, that despite the many obstacles they came across, they never gave up their dream of being re-united with their families. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was kept away from his home for many years, but was still determined to return to see his wife and son. In O Brother Where Art Thou?, Ulysses was similarly kept away from his wife and children by being


Cited: Hamilton Edith. Mythology. London: Little, Brown and Company, 1998. O Brother Where Art Thou?. Coen Brothers, Eric Fellner. DVD. Touchstone, 2000.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    O'Brother Where Art Thou? Allusions to the Odyssey Essay Example
    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages

    O'Brother Where Art Thou? Allusions to the Odyssey Essay Example

    One of the strongest allusions in O’ Brother Where Art Thou? and The Odyssey are the parallels between the characters Big Dan to Polythemus, Penny to Penelope, and Everett to Odysseus. In the movie Big Dan was a tall and quite large man; this adverted to Polythemus the Cyclopes in the book The Odyssey. Both Characters had a large and burly build with one functioning eyes. Big Dan terrorized Everett and his two companions by “killing” one of them. Polythemus trapped Odysseus and a few of his men in a cave and took many of the men’s lives. After Everett’s encounter with Big Dan he started to feel for others and experienced sorrow and sympathy because he lost one of his companions. He learned how important having people to count on was. Another allusion made in O’ Brother Where Art Thou? is how Penny signified Penelope from The Odyssey. Both Penny and Penelope were in search of suitors after their husbands left. Penelope’s husband, Odysseus, went to fight a war while Penny’s husband, Everett, was taken as a criminal. In the end both wives ended up taking back their original husbands because the men proved their loyalty. Last but not least is the allusion between the characters. Everett and Odysseus. The two characters start out being stubborn and self-centered. Everett was concerned about his self-image. One line he says over and over again is…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    O' Brother Where Art Thou Compared to the Odyssey Essay Example
    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages

    O' Brother Where Art Thou Compared to the Odyssey Essay Example

    Who would have thought that a prison escapee would be modeled after a hero from the ancient Greece era? The movie is both similar to the book in plot line, themes and character traits, although there are also many differences and during certain scenes the movie somewhat mocks the novel. Ulysses (Odysseus’ Latin name) Everett, the hero in O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?, travels a Homeric journey through the Mississippi bible belt. Thus, we find the modern day film depiction of the troubles of a man during the depression is molded by the ancient struggles of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. Though O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? is not and exact reincarnation of the original masterpiece, there are still a vast amount of similarities between the two.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    O Brother Where Art Though Comparison to Odysseus Essay Example
    • 1874 Words
    • 8 Pages

    O Brother Where Art Though Comparison to Odysseus Essay Example

    The movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” explains the story of Odysseus in “The Odyssey” through a more modern storyteller. In fact, the movie uses very similar character names so today’s audience can easily relate the movie to the original poem “The Odyssey.” For example, Ulysses is Latin for the name Odysseus. Even Odysseus wife’s name is Peggy, while Ulysses wife’s name is Penny. These similarities are shown throughout the movie not only with character names, but also with the original myths in the stories. Most of the same myths in “The Odyssey” are shown in the movie as well, such as the story of the Cyclops, the Sirens, and many more. While the myths are told differently in the movie, they still maintain the underlying story that was being told. The movie the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” is a modern depiction of Homers “The Odyssey,” which shares several similarities that show the journey of Odysseus to his family in a modern day more realistic setting and shows the relevance and power of the story to today’s audience through examples in the story of the Teiresias, the Cyclops, the Sirens and Circe, and the transformation into an old man.…

    • 1874 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare And Contrast O Brother Where Art Thou
    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Compare And Contrast O Brother Where Art Thou

    The Odyssey, is a legendary tale written by David Adams Leeming. This epic tells the story of a wise man named Odysseus who struggled to return back to his homeland, Ithaca, after the fall of Troy. In comparison to the text, the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou," has a similar plot and is based on The Odyssey. In the movie, Ulysses Everett McGill is the main character played by George Clooney. Everett and Odysseus both encounter different struggles in their journeys throughout the movie and the book; however, both characters ' main goal was to be reunited with their families back home.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare And Contrast The Odyssey And O Brother Where Art Thou
    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Compare And Contrast The Odyssey And O Brother Where Art Thou

    Firstly, as the story begins in The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou?, a group of men…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    O Brother, Where Art Thou vs. the Odyssey
    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages

    O Brother, Where Art Thou vs. the Odyssey

    In a 5-paragraph essay, describe the similarities between The Odyssey by Homer and O Brother, Where Art Thou?…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast Odyssy
    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Compare and Contrast Odyssy

    The most plainly seen similarity between our epic hero and soggy bottom boy would be their limitless vanity in their beauty. The theme of beauty is apparent in Ulysses’ action of incessantly wearing a hairnet to bed and his stubborn obsession with Dapper Dan hair pomade. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus is perpetually being depicted as a beautiful man, so beautiful that his son mistakes him for a glorious god. Another similar epic theme would have to be the long awaited homecoming. Both Odysseus and Ulysses have to face many obstacles and antagonistic characters until they are finally reunited with their loved ones in their homeland. After returning home, Penelope was still loyal sweetness of loyalty was still waiting for Odysseus even after 20 years, though the same cannot be said for poor Ulysses.…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    O Brother Where Art Thou Character Analysis
    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages

    O Brother Where Art Thou Character Analysis

    The characters’ encounters with others share several similarities. Both characters experience similar encounters with prophets. In The Odyssey, Odysseus travels to the Underworld and meets with Tiresias, who tells Odysseus what he will undergo on his journey: a series of long and difficult tasks. Everett and his companions come across a blind prophet…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Occurrence Where Art Thou Odyssey
    • 1510 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Occurrence Where Art Thou Odyssey

    Next there is the con artist who posed as a bible sales man to rob Ulysses; the con artist is compared to the Cyclops from The Odyssey. At first it does not seem that a con artist and a Cyclops would have too much in common, but he coincidently had only one eye, and if that was not enough he also used a club to attack Ulysses just as the Cyclops had a club he used in The Odyssey. On a deeper level the con artist and the Cyclops serve the same purpose to both stories, which is to prevent Ulysses/ Odysseus from getting home to his wife. Then there are the 3 women who were washing their cloths in the river. These obviously were the writer's interpretation of the sirens from The Odyssey. And as in The Odyssey they attempted to prevent Ulysses from getting home, and also tempted him with lust, just as the sirens did. There is also the part in the movie where Ulysses and his companions came upon a KKK ceremony and lynching. The KKK represented the Laestrygonians from The Odyssey. This is because in both The Odyssey and O Bother Where Art Thou the Laestrygonians and the KKK were unexpected, and violent. Unexpected because in The Odyssey Odysseus did not expect to run into human eating giants, and for…

    • 1510 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou Compared
    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou Compared

    The Cyclops encounter is transcendent between both works. The Cyclops, in the ìOdysseyî and ìO Brother, Where Art Thou?î has obvious physical traits that connect the two pieces of work. The Cyclops in each story is a large man, who only has one eye. One website describe the Cyclopes race as, ìa rough and uncivilized race of one-eyed giants.î(Spark notes p1) Odysseus describe the giant as, ì A prodigious man who slept in his cave alone, and took his flocks to graze afield---remote from all companions, knowing none but savage ways, a brute so huge.î(Wilkie p378) The encounter of the Cyclops shows a great similarity in both of these stories. Odysseus, the main character of the ìOdysseyî and Ulysses, the main character of ìO Brother, Where Art Thou?î are taken from of state of tranquility and savagely attacked. As described by Odysseus, ìSo there all day, until the sun went down, we made our feast on meat galore, and wine.î(p 377) This quote describes Odysseus and his men relaxing and enjoying a feast. Quite similar in ìO Brother Where Art Thou,î Ulysses was enjoying a picnic when the savage Cyclops…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Odyssey and O'Brother Where Art Thou
    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Odyssey and O'Brother Where Art Thou

    In the beginning of the movie we meet Everett, Pete and Delmar. Everett’s first name is Ulysses and Ulysses in roman is odysseus which is a comparison with the odyssey because they both have a similar meaning in names as also odysseus wife was called Penelope and Everett’s wife was called penny which was short for penelope. In the odyssey there is a Cyclopes mentioned who is a tall, one-eyed monster. Meanwhile, in a comparison the movie O’brother where art thou, pete and Everett meet a bible seller who was called after big dan. Big dan was a big man, who as well had and eye patch on one of his eyes. This big dan guy is in oneway or another like the Cyclopes in the odyssey. Afterwards, odysseus kills the Cyclopes and they escape but the Cyclopes is poseidon’s son in which then posiedon is the god of the water and makes it difficult for odysseus to try to get back to his home. Odysseus and his man arrives at a cabin when a big flood arrived next to them. Odysseus and two if his man survived while the rest drowned but this flood in fact helped odysseus and his two man left arrived back home to there families and wifes. Another description of Poseidon would be the sheriff cooley who in O’brother where art thou is who is trying to make all three Pete , Delmar and Everett’s life miserable and get them back from where they belong which was working as chaingang. At last, all three are captured and they are going to be hung when all of a sudden the floor start moving and a flood of water heads towards them and they don’t end up being hung but actually being saved. This water in both ways help each other by not getting hung and being able to live there life one again with there family. In my way of explaining I say that these both movies had a good connection which was actually interesting both have different seeks but both end as they were suppose…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is His Father's Relationship In The Odyssey
    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Is His Father's Relationship In The Odyssey

    In The Odyssey, Odysseus is in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, Odysseus is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his father's side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they he lead to the same finale, and are both stepping-stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship. It all starts out happily enough.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Archetype In The Odyssey
    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Archetype In The Odyssey

    In Literature there's always gonna be characters that seem like the are similar to characters from another story. For example batman has a sidekick and so does superman or with the Disney princesses they always have a true love waiting at the end of the story. These type of characters are seen in literature 24/7. Who helps Odysseus on his journey? well as any other Disney movie or book The Odyssey has its villains, hero, mentors, and sidekicks.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Conflict Between Ulysses and Neptune in Homer’s “Odyssey”
    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Conflict Between Ulysses and Neptune in Homer’s “Odyssey”

    The work Odyssey has always been extremely interesting to me. I have seen many movies based on the story and have been fascinated with the conflicts between humans and gods. In my essay I discuss the conflict between Ulysses and Neptune, by pointing out the latter is Ulysses main antagonist. I love the fact that Ulysses is a very heroic character and there is plenty of evidence about this in the work. Neptune is like the bad guy in the story and Homer had created a dark vibe around him.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Style and Themes of James Joyce
    • 2477 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Style and Themes of James Joyce

    of his problems in his life. The Odyssey was the foundation of Ulysses and a…

    • 2477 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics