Fourr Things About Homer, The Iliad, The Odyssey (The Story And Movie)

 First, there is a debate over if Homer wrote both the Iliad and the Odyssey.  If you use the Greek text....the wording is different between the two. 

What people believe? Some folks suggest a Homer-1 and a Homer-2.  My belief?  I think verbally....a Homer-1 developed both as entertaining pieces to be told around the camp-fire at night.  Along came some Greek to write down the story....earning the title of Homer-2, and  later....a third Homer (Homer-3) pieced together the last story.

Second, the entire story of the Iliad laid out in simple fashion? Well...it goes this way:

Homer tries to lay out the final weeks of the Trojan War (a 10-year epic period over Troy.

The 105 months of the war?  Not mentioned....just the ending.

So the weight of the story is about guy Achilles...a Greek warrior (described as the greatest of the great).  The Greeks  have raided some town and taken a virgin-gal captative (this is Chryseis....if you were curious).  Her  dad demands the return.  Eventually....this occurs....but the Greeks did go and grab Achilles’ own prize, Briseis.

There's some chatter where Achilles talks to Gods....at least he says this, and Homer relates it.

So we have this week where the Trojans lack Achilles....to make  up for that...Achilles’ close friend/buddy....Patroclus puts on the Achilles gear and pretends to be him.  He dies in a fight with Hector.  

Achilles arrives....peeved....bothered greatly....killing off a bunch of folks, and finally getting to Hector (killing him).  It's a messy end....He drags Hector’s body behind his chariot.

The poem ends with some words over Hector’s funeral.  

For a camp-fire story?  It's five-star, and a epic.  

Third.....the Odyssey?  I  consider it the 'lesser' of the two  (my humble belief).

This story the Greek hero Odysseus (king of Ithaca).  Oddly the Trojan war has ended after ten years, and his journey (about 300 miles in reality) consumes 10 years itself (part of the bogus-nature of  the story).

Here....Homer skips almost all of the 10 years of the war, and 95-percent of the trip home....talking mostly about 6 weeks of adventure.

 The key story-piece?  Back in Ithaca, Odysseus’ wife....Penelope...has stayed loyal (for almost 20 years).

Toward the end....they now assume that Odysseus is dead.

There's some words over Athena....goddess of wisdom....helping the son.

Apparently....at some point Odysseus has been held for years by sexed-up gal (Calypso) on her island. He finally escapes....gets shipwrecked and washed up among the Phaeacians.

There's some witch adventure....then a Cyclops adventure....then a Underworld adventure....then a monsters adventure (Scylla and Charybdis). 

The boys finally bring him home to Ithaca. He gets back with the wife....after 20 years.

Fourth, my view of the movie deal?  I think Nolan was led to make a movie that ha little  to do with Homer's story.  If this were Frankenstein....it'd been done with the guy being half-man, half-woman, half-beast (ManBearPig).  If this were Uncle Tom's Cabin....it'd been mostly a story of a Mexican 'Tom'....growing up in  Texas.

Are folks going to the movie?  I really don't buy into that....unless it's a money-laundering operation.  To be honest....I could  design the movie and the theater creation....as such.