Mary Beard: Why no film has ever cracked The Odyssey

Main ideas / concepts / lessons

• Why filmmakers struggle with The Odyssey

  • Mary Beard expresses excitement about Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation, noting that The Odyssey has “not had much luck with filmmakers” so far.
  • She hopes Nolan’s version will help audiences really get into the story and encourage rediscovery of the Odyssey.

• What The Odyssey is (and is not)

  • Beard challenges the common view of the Odyssey as merely a set of “tales of daring-do.”
  • Instead, she describes it as:
    • One man’s attempt to get home (Odysseus’ journey).
    • A deep exploration of identity and what it means to be a man.
    • A focus on growing up, especially through Telemachus (Odysseus’ son), rather than only Odysseus as the hero.
  • She calls it the “most complicated post-modern epic”, especially due to its structure and narrative complexity.

• The narrative complexity and structure

  • The poem starts “right in the middle of things,” so the audience does not immediately “see” Odysseus.
  • It zooms in on Ithaca and Odysseus’ family before the hero is fully present.
  • Even when dramatic stories are told (e.g., earlier adventures), they’re typically relayed secondhand—Odysseus tells them to someone else—rather than presented as firsthand experience.

• How oral culture shaped the work

  • Beard argues it’s hard for modern readers to grasp the sophistication of oral audiences.
  • She suggests the Odyssey likely emerged in bardic culture, involving:
    • Partly interlocking, partly formulaic tales,
    • Sung/performed in an oral, fluid setting (e.g., around a campfire or after dinner),
    • Episodes that could vary depending on audience demand (e.g., “Have the cyclops tonight”).
  • She estimates this oral phase spans roughly from around the 10th century BCE onward (as discussed).

• Transition to writing and continued editing

  • Beard believes the Odyssey probably took some written form after generations of oral performance, possibly around the 8th century BCE.
  • She emphasizes uncertainty about authorship, including whether “Homer” is involved.
  • She also claims the poem was still being tidied up and altered as late as the 5th century BCE, and even then likely retained an oral dimension.
  • Later antiquity readers are described as engaging in close, careful study, similar to modern interpretation.

• Translation as interpretation (and why it matters)

  • Beard argues it’s a mistake to be overly prescriptive about which translation someone must read—if you can find an English version you engage with, that’s the key.
  • She stresses that all translations are interpretations, and different eras translate in ways that fit their own audiences.
    • Example: 19th-century translations can sound “stilted” because they were written for 19th-century readers, not modern ones.
  • Two contemporary translations she recommends:
    • Emily Wilson (noted by Beard as the first English translation by a woman).
    • Daniel Mendelson (described as excellent and very readable).

• A concrete example of how translation changes meaning: slavery

  • Beard contrasts translation choices for slaves in Penelope’s household and among Odysseus’ wife and son Telemachus in Ithaca.
  • In Wilson’s translation (as Beard describes it), she uses the direct word “slaves” (and/or “enslaved”).
  • In older mainstream translations (especially from the 1950s and before), “serving girl” (a euphemism) was commonly used.
  • Beard argues this alters readers’ understanding of society in the Odyssey:
    • Wilson makes slavery more visible and clear.
    • Beard says both approaches can be legitimate, but Wilson encourages more careful attention to social status.

• How translators grapple with difficult Greek terms

  • Beard highlights the opening description of Odysseus using the Greek adjective polyropos, meaning roughly “much-turning / much-adapting / many turns.” She explains multiple interpretive possibilities.
  • Scholars and translators debate what it implies, including:
    • winding/circuitous routes home,
    • difficulty,
    • cleverness,
    • or even negative traits (e.g., untrustworthy).
  • Her takeaway: a good translation includes notes showing uncertainty and decision-making, so readers see translation as an interpretive experiment, not gospel.

• Suggested way to engage the Odyssey (podcast / book-club approach)

  • Beard says her podcast Instant Classics will include reading/discussing the Odyssey.
  • She describes a book club approach:
    • reading the Odyssey over about a year, and
    • discussing it book-by-book to “talk it through.”

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Methodology / instructions presented

• To appreciate a film adaptation like Nolan’s Odyssey

  • Get into the source text first: find out “what the text is from which this movie is going to come.”
  • Use that reading as a basis for more informed criticism and appreciation of the film.

• To choose a translation (recommended general approach)

  • Don’t be overly prescriptive.
  • Pick an English translation you can actually engage with (even from a secondhand shop or online).
  • Prefer a readable, modern translation; Beard specifically suggests:
    • Emily Wilson
    • Daniel Mendelson

• How to read translation critically

  • Treat translation choices as interpretations, not unquestionable truths.
  • When meaning is contested (e.g., words like polyropos), look for:
    • translator notes,
    • explanations of alternative readings,
    • the reasons behind word choices.
  • “Get messy” by interrogating translation decisions rather than accepting them passively.

• Engagement format for learning the Odyssey

  • Use a long-form guided approach such as a year-long book club that reads the work book-by-book.

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Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker: Mary Beard
• Referenced creators / works:
  • Christopher Nolan (film adaptation of The Odyssey)
  • Emily Wilson (translation of The Odyssey)
  • Daniel Mendelson (translation of The Odyssey)
  • “Homer” / ancient authorship tradition (mentioned as uncertain/possibly irrelevant)
  • “Big Think” (channel membership/support referenced)
  • Instant Classics (Mary Beard’s podcast/book-club project)