Comparing Homer's The Odyssey And O Brother Where Art Thou?

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Odysseus from Homer’s The Odyssey and Ulysses McGill from O Brother, Where Art Thou? have their similarities, but each Hero’s Journey is still unique to the character. They are each very determined, arrogant and they know who is in charge, as well as sharing one of their enemies, the Cyclops. At the end of their journeys, they each are tasked with getting rid of their wives’ suitors and must make a promise to stay home and out of trouble; they both win back their wives and live happily ever after with their families. However, there are differences, such as Ulysses’ more human qualities, such as vanity, and the fact that he is an escaped convict, as opposed to Odysseus, a respected war hero. Even with their differences, Odysseus from The Odyssey and Ulysses McGill from O Brother, Where Art Thou? are very …show more content…
Each of the epic heroes in The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou? have similar personalities, each very determined, arrogant, and they definitely know who is in charge. Odysseus, in The Odyssey, has the personality of a someone who knows that he is in charge. He takes the lead in all situations, is slightly arrogant, and absolutely adamant about getting home to his wife before she is forced to marry one of her suitors. This means even if he is the only one getting home, which he is. Throughout the book, Odysseus’ men are slowly killed off by the many monsters that they came by. During this, Odysseus accepts their deaths and shows no or little sympathy. Along with that, Odysseus’ arrogance gets him in trouble, one notable time being when Odysseus and his crew are escaping from Polyphemus, the Cyclops. Odysseus gloats to Polyphemus and says: “‘Cyclops, if anyone asks who put out your eye, tell them it was Odysseus of Icatha!’” Polyphemus throws a hilltop at them, nearly beaching their ship. He prays to Poseidon, asking for him to curse
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Comparing Homer's Odyssey And O Brother Where Art Thou?

film O Brother, Where Art Thou? by the Coen Brothers’ was developed in 2000 to model a similar story as the Epic Poem The Odyssey by Homer. In both works, the characters are faced with consequential decisions. For example, in O Brother, Where Art Thou Everett’s decision to withhold his true motive, of wanting to get home to his wife Penny, for convincing Delmar and Pete, the men he was chained to, to break out of prison with him; instead he told them a more appeasing reason, that he knew where there…

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