Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has been praised by critics but is dividing opinions on social media and across political spectrums. The film has faced accusations of woke casting, featuring a black Helen of Troy and a trans Greek warrior. It is speculated that Nolan drew on Emily Wilson's 2017 translation of Homer's epic, known for its feminist perspective and modern vocabulary. However, the classicist herself has now slammed the film's creative choices, which portray Odysseus with the empathetic ethics of a modern Westerner rather than those of a glory-seeking ancient king.
Wilson's Critique of Odysseus' Character
In Nolan's film, Odysseus regrets his invasion of Troy and breaking Zeus' law of hospitality towards strangers. In a new interview, Wilson said: “I’m not sure if I see it as an entirely anti-war film. But it certainly presents us with an Odysseus who feels very bad about certain things that he’s done in war and is struggling to process them in a very modern psychiarised way.”
She continued: “He seems to feel bad about being a warrior and we never get to see him doing very much warrioring, which I thought, in a way, was a bit of a shame. [Homer’s Odysseus] wants glory and he wants to get spoils from the sack of a city… I think it’s film that has some interest in shame but I don’t think it has any interest in glory.”
The Odyssey is now in cinemas.
