What do I need to know about the Odyssey before watching the film? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 22 hours ago by enchantedgoldapple@sopuli.xyz to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I have virtually zero knowledge of The Odyssey as a Greek mythology, save for a few recognisable names like the Helen of Troy, the Trojan War etc. I do want to enjoy the movie to its fullest, and if learning about the plot material is essential to it, then so be it. Is there a good resource giving a summarized version of the plot enough to understand the film? If so, I would really appreciate it if you shared it here.

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[-] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 1 points 5 hours ago

One more thing you should know, OP: Odysseus is an antihero.

All the best heroes in ancient Greece are a strong guy who's good with a sword, and has more than two brain cells. Odysseus is strong by normal people standards, but he's not the incredible Hulk. He's the smart one. He's the Iron Man of the Greeks.

Odysseus' favourite weapon is the bow, because he prefers to fight from a distance to keep himself safe. He's a liar and a cheat who uses trickery to deal with bad guys. In traditional Greek culture, all of this makes him a coward and calls his worthiness to be a hero into question.

And yet, Odysseus is the guy who actually won the Trojan War for the Greeks. He accomplished way more than Achilles, the homoerotic, throbbingly erect pillar of traditional Greek masculinity.

This tension is super important during scenes like the one where he tells Polythremus his name is Nobody. That one's in the Odyssey and it's awesome. Odysseus is the bad boy. The Greeks had a harder time rooting for him, because he uses his brains more often than his muscles.

this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2026

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