Robert Pattinson as the worst of Penelope's suitors —Courtesy of Universal
Characters in The Odyssey frequently mention “Zeus’ Law,” which at one point Telemachus (Tom Holland) uses to explain why all guests in their household, even his mother’s bawdy suitors who have taken up residence in Odysseus’ absence, must be treated well in case they are gods disguised as men. Telemachus and Penelope (Anne Hathaway), at other moments, basically define the law as the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
In the starkest terms, a person’s goodness in ancient Greek texts is in part defined by their willingness to play host: Telemachus is noble because he takes in strangers and beggars and feeds them; the suitors are not because they kick and mock those they deem beneath them. The Trojan War, according to Greek myth, begins because of a violation of xenia: the Trojan prince Paris, while staying as a guest in the Greek king Menelaus’ house, steals away his host’s wife, Helen. The Greeks’ invasion of Troy is a reaction to that violation. (Though, as Damon’s Odysseus points out in the film, Helen’s abduction is largely used as an excuse for Menelaus’ power-hungry brother, Agamemnon, to raid the rich city of Troy.) And characters throughout the story talk warily about the “Sea People,” pirates who do not obey “Zeus’ Law.” Historians theorize that, among several other factors, these sea peoples plundering the Mediterranean helped usher in a Dark Age where the ability to read and write was lost in Ancient Greece.
How Christopher Nolan weaves xenia into The Odyssey
The Trojan Horse in Nolan's The Odyssey —Courtesy of UniversalThe myth goes that Athena favored the Greeks, and particularly Odysseus, throughout the Trojan War. But she was displeased with their violations in the sack of the city, which led in part to the woes that the Greeks met on the way home (along with the anger of Poseidon and Zeus at other violations like poking out the eye of the cyclops Polyphemus and eating the Sun God’s cattle).
It matters little whether the gods do not exist at all and Odysseus is just externalizing his guilt, or Athena really was angered over the desecration at Troy. The point is that, much like Nolan’s last subject, the godfather of the nuclear bomb Robert J. Oppenheimer, Odysseus cannot stand the fact that he is responsible for unleashing chaos and cruelty. They are both overcome with guilt. In Odysseus’ case, he avoids returning home because of that guilt, afraid of the world he’ll find where xenia no longer exists and filled with shame at having to face his family after committing atrocious acts. And his fears are realized when he returns to find a land where xenia is no longer observed—the suitors abuse strangers and take advantage of their hosts, Penelope and Telemachus. It feels almost as if Odysseus’ violation of the codes of ethics have given these men permission to harm his own family.
At the end of the film, Odysseus admits that it is his men who are the Sea People—or perhaps all Greek men are. Law and order is falling apart, and he believes it’s all his fault. In fact, the mythical character of Odysseus does not deserve the blame. Most historians believe that Troy did exist, and the city was destroyed by warfare and fire. In all likelihood, the legends of those battles, passed down through song, grew into myth, hence how the character of Odysseus was probably born. And a dark age really did follow that war in which the ability to read and write was lost. Popular archeologist Eric H. Cline has theorized that many factors contributed to the period of roughly 50 years (c. 1200–1150 BCE) in which almost every major civilization in the region collapsed in rapid succession. Those reasons include the so-called Sea People—migrating groups who attacked Egypt and other coastal civilizations—as well as drought; climate change; a disruption of trade networks; earthquakes; and internal rebellions.
Nolan’s new ending for The Odyssey
The sacking of Troy —Courtesy of UniversalThe film version sees Odysseus exiled for his murder of the suitors, but he leaves with Penelope, as they once dreamed of doing when Odysseus was initially called to serve in the Trojan War. On the boat, they speak of the impending end of the Bronze Age and how their exploits will be sung about because the ability to write will be lost during the dark age. It’s a fascinating historical lens through which to reframe the myth—and also a much more romantic ending. We love a couple sailing off into the sunset. At the very least, it makes for a much more satisfying conclusion than the mom-swapping marriage of ancient lore.
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