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Vanessa Carlson
Professor Blessinger
October 20, 2011
Media Studies
Classic Meets Comedy: The Evolution of the Odysseus Hero
Beowulf, Robin Hood, Indiana Jones, and even Harry Potter are all regarded as acclaimed
heroes of both literature and film. What is considered a hero? According to the website,
Dictionary.com, the noun hero is defined as “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired
for his brave deeds and noble qualities” (“Hero"). The previously mentioned examples of heroes
fit the general description of the hero, but there are other samples of heroes throughout literature
and film. One example is Odysseus from Homer’s The Odyssey. This Greek legend falls into the
category of the classical mythology hero, according to Dictionary.com, by the Homeric period
definition of “a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability” (“Hero"). Homer’s The
Odyssey was adapted into a film called, O Brother Where Art Thou? where the comic lead
Ulysses Everett McGill, or as the characters from the film refer to him, Everett, represents the
Greek hero Odysseus (O Brother Where Art Thou?). Despite the fact that these two characters
seem to be completely different, there are several similarities as well. The film, O Brother Where
Art Thou?, reveals the transformation from the Greek hero Odysseus of The Odyssey into the
comic hero Everett McGill through their journeys to attain their “great fortune.”
The original hero, Odysseus, possesses many gallant traits in The Odyssey. The name
Odysseus, however, according to G.E. Dimrock, Jr. of the Hudson Review, means “be wroth
against” or “hate” (Dimock, Jr.). Odysseus demonstrates his heroic potential by blinding the
Cyclopes, Polyphemus. The hero, who was using an assumed name, could not refrain from
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boasting his accomplishment by saying, ‘“Should anyone ask who blinded you, answer that it
was not Oudeis, but Odysseus of Ithaca!’” (Homer qtd. in Graves 357). This action of Odysseus
portrays the arrogant side of his personality. This scene also reveals Odysseus’s clever mind by
the way he and his remaining men escape the blinded beast. “But Odysseus took withies and tied
each of his comrades in turn under the belly of a ram, the middle one of three, distributing the
weight evenly” (Graves 356). Odysseus demonstrates not only an act of bravery, but he also
demonstrates his dedication to his men in the scene with the goddess, Circe. He learns of his men
being transformed into hogs and immediately attempts to rescue them. Although his actions are
courageous, he does not think his plan through and the god Hermes comes to his aid. “Odysseus,
who seized his sword and went off, bent on rescue, though without any settle plan in his head. To
his surprise, he encountered the god Hermes. . . .” (Graves 359). In the end, Odysseus rescues
his men, but at the price of remaining with Circe for seven years. The next challenge for
Odysseus arises when they come across the Sirens. Taking advice from Circe, he has his men tie
him to his ship so he would not give in to the Siren’s alluring singing. This shows how Odysseus
can avoid temptation. When the Greek hero finally reaches his destination of Ithaca, he is
disguised as an older man in order to pursue his wife’s suitors and punish them.
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When Odysseus first returned to his home in Ithaca, numerous suitors treated him as an outsider;
they treated him with no respect. Disguised as a
beggar, the suitors did not recognize him as the
returned king. Odysseus shows great patience in
waiting for just the right moment to retaliate and
Figure 1: Odysseus punishing the suitors ("Christianity
Today Entertainment Blog: Odysseus without the
Odyssey?").
reveal his true identity. When Penelope first
“meets” her husband, she does not recognize him
as she denies her husband will ever return. Odysseus finally unveils his true identity by stringing
a bow and shooting an arrow through “every one of the twelve-axe rings” (Graves 372). After
Odysseus displays his act of courage and skill, he enacts his vengeance by killing the suitors with
no mercy for the guilty. The image on the left portrays this scene of violence and mayhem.
Finally, Odysseus reclaims his throne as well as his wife, Penelope.
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Ulysses Everett McGill portrays the comic hero in the film “O Brother, Where Art
Thou?”, but still resembles the classic Greek hero of “The Odyssey.” The name Ulysses is the
first clue in connecting the two heroes. Odysseus, according to the Encyclopedia Mythica
website, is Latin for Ulysses. The film even incorporates Ulysses’s middle name, or in the
movie, the name he goes by, in alluding to the fact that Everett is the hero. According to the
author Flora Haines Loughead, the name Everett means “courageous” (50). Like Odysseus,
Everett is clearly the leader among his companions Pete and Delmar. One would notice this in
the opening scene in the film as Everett devised the plan to escape from the chain-gang. Everett
reveals the inner comic hero by the way the three men escape. The author Pernille FlenstedJensen states, “. . . . the way the three men duck and jump across the field, thinking they are
invisible, spells comedy.” (16). Throughout the film,
Everett reveals a constant obsession over the condition
of his hair, which also depicts the comedy of his
character. He regularly uses “Dapper Dan” pomade as
Figure 2: The comic hero Everett ("RC-NDBoon's 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' Quiz").
well as hairnets to keep up his appearance (O Brother,
Where Art Thou?). The hero comically displays his
vanity by exclaiming, “My hair!” throughout the movie (O Brother, Where Art Thou?). The
image above represents the comic hero of Everett McGill and, by the expression upon his face,
his anguish over his unkempt hair. Everett fits the description of the term hero in many ways, but
he also resembles the Greek hero Odysseus in several instances.
Odysseus, like Everett is also a respectable leader of his men. A leader is given many
responsibilities such as being able to communicate effectively. As Everett states in the film, he is
“endowed with the gift of gab” (O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Along with the art of speech, the
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comic hero also comes across many challenging instances, in which he repeatedly states, “Damn!
We’re in a tight spot!” (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) One of these occurrences arises with a
Cyclops encounter of his own named Big Dan Teague. The “Cyclops” is an unscrupulous Bible
salesman. When Everett’s companion, Delmar, is struck several times by Big Dan, all Everett
can manage to state is, “I don’t get it big Dan” with a confused grin before he is struck down as
well (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) Unlike Odysseus, Everett is easily tempted, which is proven
when he and his companions are confronted by three beautiful “sirens”. The three are lured into
drinking great amounts of alcohol before they lose consciousness and awaken to discover that
Pete is missing. Delmar comes to the conclusion that Pete was turned into a toad by the sirens,
but Everett only arches his eyebrow at his companion’s fantasy. Everett mutters, “I’m not so sure
that’s Pete,” while Delmar replies, “Of course it’s Pete, look at him!” (O Brother, Where Art
Thou?). This scene resembles the occurrence between the goddess Circe and Odysseus as well as
the instance with the sirens, in The Odyssey, but with a comic twist. Everett reveals his doubt for
a higher power, while Odysseus depends on the god Hermes to overcome the spells of Circe.
Everett also reveals a clever side to his character when he and his companions stumble upon a
Ku Klux Klan gathering, where their African American friend, Tommy, is about to be hung.
Everett quickly forms a plan to rescue Tommy by suggesting that they three of them steal the
color guard’s garments. Posing as the color guard, the trio manages to save their friend, and put
an end to the Cyclops, Big Dan Teague. This scene is similar to how Odysseus devised a plan to
escape the cave of the Cyclops by strapping themselves under the sheep to be used as a disguise.
When Everett finally reaches his destination, which is coincidently, Ithaca, Mississippi,
he launches a plan to convince his wife to return to him (Flensted-Jensen 16). He and his three
companions disguise themselves as men with long facial hair and pose as one of the groups of
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musicians performing on stage at the Stokes’ campaign dinner. Everett tries convincing his wife
to come back to him, but she keeps refusing him. Finally, the boys perform their hit song “Man
of Constant Sorrow” as the Soggy Bottom Boys. Surprised at the crowd’s recognition of the
song, Everett, the lead vocalist of the group, sings the popular tune. The moment Everett began
singing, his wife Penny realizes her ex-husband is now part of a popular music sensation. This
scene is similar to when Odysseus is disguised as a beggar and his wife would not accept the fact
that her husband has returned until he revealed his talent with a bow and arrow. Just as Odysseus
is reunited with his wife, Everett’s wife Penny forgives him and plans on remarrying. The
comedy included this scene in O Brother, Where Art Thou? is that Penny will only accept
Everett’s hand in marriage if he retrieves her original wedding ring. Everett tries to explain the
difficulty of the task, but Penny states, “I’ve spoken my piece and counted to three.” (O Brother
Where Art Thou?). In other words, Everett must retrieve the wedding ring in order to truly win
his wife back. This is comparable to when Penelope tests Odysseus about the tree bed in order to
discover if he was truly her husband.
Between Odysseus and Everett, who is the true hero? Odysseus possesses the general
characteristics of a hero such as bravery, leadership, and skills one would expect a common hero
to have. He also, however, proves to be an angry individual who will stop at nothing for revenge.
Everett McGill may not be the typical hero seen in works of literature or film, but he also has
qualities that fit the description of a hero. He is courageous, a leader, and will stop at nothing to
accomplish his goals. Both heroes, according to Pernille Flensted-Jensen, have the goal “to be
reunited with Penelope/Penny.” (24). These men, Greek hero or comedy hero, realize what is
truly important in life and use their skills and natural leadership to achieve their goals. O
Brother, Where Art Thou? transforms the classic Greek hero Odysseus into the crowd pleasing,
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comic hero Everett McGill. Both portray unique heroic qualities and leave the “Man of Constant
Sorrow” behind.
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Works Cited
"Christianity Today Entertainment Blog: Odysseus without the Odyssey?" CT Entertainment
Blog. Christianity Today International, 25 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.
<http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctentertainment/2009/04/odysseus-without-theodyssey.html>.
Dimock, Jr., G.E. "The Name of Odysseus." The Hudson Review 9.1 (1956): 52-70. University of
Virginia. ProQuest Information and Learning Company, 2003. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.
<http://people.virginia.edu/~jdk3t/NameOdysseus.pdf>.
Encyclopedia Mythica. "Odysseus." Encyclopedia Mythica: Mythology, Folklore, and Religion.
MMIX Encyclopedia Mythica, 31 Oct. 2005. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/odysseus.html>.
Flensted-Jensen, Pernille. "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed: The Odyssey
and O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Classica Et Mediaevalia Revue Danoise De Philologie
Et D'histoire. Museum Tusculanum, 2002. 13+. Print.
Graves, Roswell. "Odysseus's Homecoming." The Greek Myths. Vol. 2. Baltimore: Penguin,
1955. 369-76. Print.
Graves, Robert. "Odysseus's Wanderings." The Greek Myths. Vol. 2. Baltimore: Penguin, 1955.
354-69. Print.
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"Hero | Define Hero at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of
Words at Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC, 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero>.
Loughead, Flora Haines. "Everett." Dictionary of Given Names, with Origins and Meanings. 2nd
ed. Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark, 1958. 50. Print.
O Brother Where Art Thou? Dir. Joel Coen. Perf. George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake
Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. StudioCanal/Walt Disney
Studios, 2000. DVD.
"RC-N-DBoon's 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' Quiz." Flixster - Share Movie Reviews and Movie
Ratings With Your Friends. Flixster, 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.flixster.com/quizzes/rcndboons-o-brother-where-art-thou-quiz>.