One of Greek cultures great epics, The Odyssey, told by Homer, tells the long journey

of a man returning home after the Trojan War. A similar story appears in the film O Brother,
Where Art Thou. Although the film is not an exact translation from The Odyssey, there are
several aspects and themes throughout the movie that can be related to the epic. While the main
events of the two stories align in a similar plot, some of the most predominant similarities
between The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou is the similarity between characters.
Odysseus, his crew, and Polyphemus from The Odyssey can easily be compared to the
characters Ulysses, Pete and Delmar, along with other companions they make along the way, and
Big Dan of O Brother, Where Art Thou.

The most comparable pair from The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou are the
characters Odysseus and Ulysses. Ulysses and Odysseus both share an arrogant and witty
personality. In the Odyssey, even Zeus confesses to Odysseuss wittiness:
Now,
how on earth could I forget Odysseus? Great Odysseus
who excels all men in wisdom, excels in offerings too
he gives the immortal gods who rule the vaulting skies (1.78-80).
In a scene in the movie, Delmer confronts Ulysses about his arrogance and wittiness towards
others. The two characters attitudes and interactions with others center around their arrogant and
smart personality that helps get them out of obstacles but also into worse situations. A smaller
comparison between the two characters is in the book, Odysseus is constantly referred to as a
man of constant sorrow. In the movie, Ulysses sings a song with Pete and Delmar in which the
lyrics, I am a man of constant sorrow, appear in the chorus and are repeated several times.
Ulysses, Pete and Delmar become famous for this song. Another similarity is the people and

situations they encounter, as well as their goal to return home. In the book, Odysseus encounters
Sirens, the Lotus-eaters, and a Cyclops. In the movie, Ulysses encounters women singing to him
by a riverside, people baptizing, and Big Dan. Also, both men try to get home to their family and
children by the end of their journey.
Also comparable are Pete and Delmar to Odysseuss men and crew. In the book,
Odysseus often refers to his men being dumb and making stupid decisions that get them stuck
further into their journey, as well as having to help his men and being the hero by saving them:
But I brought them back, back
to the hollow ships, and streaming tears-I forced them,
hauled them under the rowing benches, lashed them fast (9.110-13).
In the movie, Ulysses is constantly making the decisions as the leader of the group for Pete and
Delmar and they follow along. Also, Pete and Delmar also are perceived as stupid and dumb in
the movie. They also become saved as they follow the people who are being baptized in the
river, who can be compared to the Lotus Eaters.
In the movie, Big Dan is a scary pastor that beats up Pete and Ulysses and kills the frog
that they think is Delmer. Eventually, the men kill Big Dan with a cross during the Klu Klux
Klan meeting as well as almost poking out his eye. In the book, Odysseus and his men are beat
up and killed by the Cyclops and they eventually stab his eye after he gets drunk.
In conclusion, some of the most predominant similarities between The Odyssey and O
Brother, Where Art Thou is the similarity between characters. Odysseus, his crew, and
Polyphemus from The Odyssey can easily be compared to the characters Ulysses, Pete and
Delmar, along with other companions they make along the way, and Big Dan of O Brother,
Where Art Thou.