Penelope As Depicted In The Epic Poem, The Odyssey

Often times after a piece of literature is written, it gets turned into a movie. The epic poem, The Odyssey, written by Homer, was transformed into a modern movie called O Brother, Where Art Thou? In the greek poem, a king named Odysseus is on a quest back home, from the Trojan War, to be with his wife, Penelope. On his journey, he encounters heaps of surreal situations, in which he manages to get himself and his crew out of. After ten years of sailing, he finally finds himself in his homeland where he reunites with his wife and son. The characters, their actions, and beliefs all show how epics reflect the societies that created them. In the American movie, three convicts Everett, Pete, and Delmar escape from prison in search of a treasure. On their search, they face a variety of situations, similar to Odysseus’. Eventually, Everett tells the other two men that there is not really a treasure and that he just wants to get his wife back. Unlike Penelope, Everett’s wife did not remain loyal and wait for her husband, she found a new man. After a while, Everett wins his wife and daughters back. The character Penelope is greatly changed from the epic to the movie, and for very good reason. In Greek culture, men were dominant. Women were supposed …show more content…
This adaptation, allowed for the watchers to feel a greater connection to the movie since they actually understand and can relate to the roles of a woman and wife. The epic poem, The Odyssey, and the modern movie, O Brother Where Art Thou? are both great showcases of the societies in which they were created. While the poem reflects Greek culture, the movie reflects American culture. O Brother is a great representation of modern day America because it shows how strong and independent women are. Although there were several differences, O Brother Where Art Though? is a great representation of The Odyssey with a modern