Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey is set to be released in theaters on July 17. The Odyssey is an epic poem taught in the English curriculum at South Brunswick High School. There are a lot of mixed opinions about a new production. Still, the teacher most comfortable sharing her thoughts was Ms. Jessica Fritsche, English teacher, and assistant swim coach, who is genuinely very hyped for this movie.
The story was originally written by the ancient Greek poet Homer around the 8th century BCE. The tale follows the main character Odysseus, the king of an island called Ithaca, as he attempts to return home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus after fighting in the Trojan War for two decades. Along the way, he encounters terrifying monsters, dangerous temptations, and powerful enemies that constantly delay his journey home. Despite being thousands of years old, this story is taught in the English curriculum today through the themes of loyalty, perseverance, temptation, and the importance of family and home.
After 3B English I was wrapping up the Odyssey unit, the class started writing sonnets as an introduction to Shakespeare. I wrote this sonnet to show the themes of perseverance, loyalty, and devotion from the perspective of Penelope, wife of Odysseus:
My dearest Odysseus, wherefore art thou?
I hate it here without a lover
Ithaca needs you now,
Telemechus is missing his father,
I raised our son by myself,
He’s grown up to be a good man,
As well as a version of yourself,
Soon I must make a plan,
A plan to banish the Suitors who torture me,
These Suitors won’t leave me alone,
I need them to leave me be,
I can’t have them take over the throne,
For 20 years, we’ve been apart,
But you’re still here in my heart.
Nolan is known for directing blockbuster films such as Oppenheimer, Inception, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. His movies are often praised for their storytelling, large-scale acting sequences, and visually immersive cinematography. Because of Nolan’s reputation for making powerful cinematic happenings, many moviegoers are curious to see how Nolan will adapt a popular epic poem to the big screen.
Freshmen in the English I and Academic English I classes have read this story throughout Quarter 2, and many confirm it was their least favorite story of the year because of the main character’s low intelligence towards his loved ones.
Although many students find this story dissatisfying and are not looking forward to the film, the freshmen English teachers are definitely eager for this new production. Ms. Fritsche shares her thoughts on the new Odyssey movie. She claims to be a big cinephile, a fan of motion pictures, and that she herself enjoyed reading the epic poem as a freshman. In an interview, she says, “I taught Greek mythology in middle school and enjoyed reading the epic poem when I was in high school,” which suggests she has extensive experience and background knowledge of Greek poetry from the perspective of both a student and a teacher.
Many question singer and rapper Travis Scott’s inclusion in this production, with very little acting experience whatsoever. Others speculate that his friendship with Nolan may have contributed to his casting. Fritsche, on the other hand, thinks that it’s cool that Scott is included, specifically using the word “(astro)world!” to describe it. Nolan was the director of the 10-time Grammy-nominated artist’s music video “The Plan,” racking up approximately 29 million views on YouTube and 123 million streams on Spotify as of this year. In addition to Travis Scott, Fritsche is very enthusiastic about seeing the internet sensation couple Zendaya and Tom Holland as Athena and Telemachus, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Matt Damon as Odysseus.
This epic poem contains significant character v. character conflict between Odysseus and the allies and enemies he faces throughout the story. According to Fritsche, the specific episode entitled “Scylla and Charybdis” will likely be the most eye-opening scene in the film. In this episode, Odysseus guides his ship and forcefully has to pass a massive whirlpool and a six-headed sea creature to continue his quest back to Ithaca, even if that means sacrificing his men to survive.
Despite Fritsche’s excitement about this movie, there are still a couple of concerns on whether or not Nolan’s version will be similar to Homer’s work of art. Others believe that his directing style can introduce a younger audience to people who are not too familiar with Greek mythology. Whether freshmen hated or loved The Odyssey, Nolan’s adaptation is currently being debated in the English classroom. With a famous director, a star-filled cast, and one of the most influential and adventurous stories ever written, the film may inspire an entirely new audience to revisit Homer’s legendary epic poem. We’ll see what happens on July 17, with Christopher Nolan taking over Homer’s work.
