By Aidan O’Connor | Sports Writer
From the first photo to its theatrical release, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has received numerous criticisms for its lack of historical accuracy. This criticism misses the whole point of Homer’s original poem and of Greek myths as a whole.
These stories, whether they be from Homer or any other writer, are inherently myths and thus never took place. While they might use certain locations or time periods the core plot rarely, if at all, centers around real events.
To take from Homer’s poem specifically, events and people like the Trojan War and Odysseus are fictitious, or in The Trojan War’s case, heavily doubted. From this lens, you could say that the poem isn’t inherently historically accurate. That never becomes an issue, though, because people look at the poems for its themes and message, not as a history lesson.
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” should be given this same leeway. Greek myths hold their weight because of their message not because of an adherence to historical accuracy.
For instance take the story of Icarus and his hubris. The whole point of the story isn’t the retelling of the time period but of how overconfidence can be someone’s downfall.
The proper way to criticize adaptations of these myths is whether they hold true to delivering the original themes and lessons. The question should be did Nolan relay the themes of war, power struggle, homesickness and loyalty, rather than if he made the armor of the Greeks historically accurate.
Myths are meant to be iterated upon and evolve as they grow older. That’s the beauty of stories told in the oral tradition; how “The Odyssey” might’ve been told 1,000 years ago is very different from how it’s told now.
People put their spins on it while keeping the core main cast, story beats and themes. The color of the armor or type of sword doesn’t really matter.
These stories aren’t biopics but examples and lectures on the human experience. How hubris destroys a man’s life or how power vacuums create strife and infighting all fall under this idea: the lessons are at the core of what makes myths and legends so special.
So whether you’re seeing “The Odyssey” in theater or waiting for when it comes out on streaming, remember to analyze the film the same way you would the original poem. Not off of its historical accuracy, but of how well it relays Homer’s original message.
