Anchoring πολύτλας Odysseus When la diritta via era smarrita: Husband, Father, War Veteran

Abstract

Nolan's and Homer’s Odyssey send a timelessly relevant message: Homer’s one of hope (in varietate unitas “united in diversity”) at the dawn of a panhellenic movement, and Nolan’s one of despair at the dusk of city-state particularism and its way of life. Nolan’s epic issues a stark warning that there are no winners in an all-out war (not even leaders, like Agamemnon or Odysseus), that those who play by the rules suffer heavily (Troy’s white knights dwindle), and that man is not an island (Ogygia will never be home), all part of Homer’s epic. The Odyssey is about the journey, not the destination—Nolan’s about a journey anchored in space and time, Homer’s about a timeless journey into the depth of the human psyche. Let us take a closer look at the man, his world, and our take