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1. Mythology In Art &
Literature: HUM2310
Professor Will Adams · Wadams5@valenciacollege.edu
Name: • O Brother! Where Art Thou? Film
Response • Score: /30
Please provide answers to the following questions in complete sentences. This response sheet
will be due upon completion of the film in class.
1. The original story, Homer’s The Odyssey, is set in ancient Greece. Where is this retelling set?
2. Why do you think this particular location and time period were chosen?
3. The Greek warrior Odysseus is the protagonist of Homer’s tale. Who is the protagonist of the
film?
4. How is the film’s protagonist different from Homer’s?
5. In most historical epics the protagonist is aided by a friend or “sidekick”. Who is/are the
film’s “sidekicks”?
6. In The Odyssey, the protagonist’s epic quest is to return home after 10 years of war with
Troy. What is the film hero’s quest?
7. In Greek legends, a soothsayer or priest warns the hero of events to come. Who does this in
the film?

2. 8. Most epic heroes have a fatal flaw. For example, Odysseus’s was his excessive pride. What is
the film hero’s?
9. The Odyssey describes the numerous obstacles and distractions the hero must overcome to
complete his quest. What is the first obstacle the film hero must overcome?
10. In one episode, Odysseus and his crew are lured onto the rocks by sweetly-singing
mermaids. Is there a related incident in the film?
11. Odysseus and his men nearly fall victim to a ravenous Cyclops in The Odyssey. Where does a
similar event occur in the film?
12. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s wife Penelope patiently waits for her husband’s return. Is this
the case in the film?
13. Homer casts Poseidon, god of sea, as Odysseus’s foe. Who is the film hero’s foe, or
antagonist?
14. Water & the sea play a pivotal role in both aiding and hindering The Odyssey’s hero. Where
does it help in the film? Where does it hinder?
15. Most epic hero tales have a major moral or message that becomes apparent to the
audience at the conclusion. What is the message that the viewer can take from O Brother,
Where Art Thou??