'The Odyssey And' O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Pop culture’s mythology theory is used in many forms of media today, from The Legend of Zelda in video games to “Harry Potter in books. One example of usage of the mythology theory is the 1996 movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? directed by Joel Coen. This movie is based off Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.” There are many similarities between the two, yet at the same time, there are many differences. “The Odyssey” is an epic written by Homer between 750 and 650 B.C. It is the tale of the main hero’s, Odysseus’s, journey home to Ithaca from Troy. It takes place after the Trojan War and is the sequel to “The Iliad.” Odysseus and his men set sail from Troy and come across the lair of the lotus eaters. After escaping, they run into the cyclops,

Athena disguises him as an old beggar and he meets up with his son, Telemachus. They form a plan to beat the suitors and then Odysseus goes to meet them. Finally, it is decided that whoever can use Odysseus’s bow to shoot an arrow through twelve axes. Odysseus, unsurprisingly, wins and starts fighting the suitors. He kills them all and reveals himself to Penelope. To make sure it’s him, she asks him to move their bed. Knowing it can’t be moved, he tells her that part of the headboard is a tree. Penelope and Odysseus are reunited and they live the rest of their lives together. O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a movie that takes place in the late Great Depression era starring George Clooney. The hero, Ulysses Everett McGill, escapes from a prison farm in Mississippi with his two chain mates, Pete and Delmar, to reclaim treasure. First they come across a blind prophet, who pretty much tells them they’ll get their treasure, but it won’t be the one they’re after. They go to Pete’s cousin, who give them a place to stay, only to betray the for the bounty. Pete’s cousin’s son saves them and they steal the

Just as they are about to be hung, a flood comes and saves them. Everett returns to his wife only to find the ring he found is not the right one. The screen turns black and white as the blind prophet sings the song Everett’s daughter was singing. Many of the characters in O Brother, Where Art Thou? are similar to characters in the Odyssey. Everett’s wife is like Penelope. Both of their husbands had been away and both had suitors. The difference though, is Everett’s wife was willingly engaged to a suitor, whereas Penelope never stopped believing her husband was dead. She told Odysseus “Ruses served my [Penelope] turn to draw the time out.” Ruses are tricks. That means Penelope tricked the suitors into waiting for her hand in marriage. Everett’s wife wanted nothing to do with him. She told him “The best thing you ever did for them was getting hit by that train.” That’s the major difference between Everett’s wife and Penelope. Penelope never stopped believing Odysseus would return; Everett’s wife told everybody he was