1. O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? Vs. The Odyssey
By: Olivia Grieco

3. O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?
Written by the Coen Brothers
Follows 3 characters, Everett, Pete, and Delmar, on their journey after escaping from prison
While searching for fortune, they get wrapped up in many sticky situations and meet many interesting characters

5. Invocation to the Muse “O Muse!
Sing in me, and through me tell the story
Of that man skilled in all the ways of contending,
A wanderer, harried for years on end…”

6. Characters Ulysses Everett McGill vs. Odysseus Both clever and cunning
Both leaders
Everett is trying to find fortune and get home to his wife and kids
Odysseus is trying to get home to his family
Both have a crew on their journey

7. Characters Penny vs. Penelope Penny is Everett’s wife
Has a suitor who she is going to marry
Has Everett search for her wedding ring to prove he wants to be with her
Penelope tests Odysseus by wanting to move their bed, proving it really it Odysseus

8. Characters Pete and Delmar vs. Odysseus’ crew
They follow Everett like Odysseus’ crew follows him and go along with everything he says
Pete represents the mutiny of Odysseus’ crew
Delmar represents the foolishness of Odysseus’ crew

9. Characters Blind Railroad Seer vs. Tiresias
Both are blind fortune tellers
Tells Everett and his men that they won’t find the treasure they seek and that their journey will be long and hard
Tiresias tells Odysseus he will get home but it may take many years and that he may face hardships

10. Characters Big Dan vs. Polyphemus
Has one eye and an eyepatch over the other
Everett and Delmar anger Big Dan like Odysseus and his crew anger the cyclops
Big Dan kills the toad, which they think is Pete
Polyphemus kills some of Odysseus’ crew members
Big Dan is killed by a flaming cross

11. Characters Governor Menelaus (Pappy O’Daniel) vs. Menelaus
Vernon T. Waldrip vs. The Suitors

12. Characters Sheriff Cooley vs. Poseidon Tommy vs. Athena
Everett’s daughters vs. Telemachus

13. Scenes Baptism vs. Lotus Eaters
Everett, Pete, and Delmar come across a congregation waiting to be baptized
Pete and Delmar repent their sins and get baptized. Everett does not
Makes them forget that they are on a journey for treasure
Lotus Eaters make Odysseus’ men forget about returning home

14. Scenes The Sirens/Circe
Everett, Pete, and Delmar hear women singing and go toward it
The women seduce them and give them alcohol and they fall asleep
When they wake up Pete is gone and a toad hops out of his clothes
Delmar believes that they turned Pete into a toad, like Circe turns Odysseus’ men into pigs

15. Scenes Dressed in disguise to see his wife
Everett disguises himself by wearing a long beard and pretending to be part of the band so he can see his wife and convince her to stay faithful to him
Odysseus is disguised as a beggar in order to go see his wife and see if she is still faithful

16. Scenes KKK meeting vs. Escaping the cyclops’ lair
Everett, Pete, and Delmar disguise themselves as KKK members to save Tommy and help him escape
Odysseus and his men escape the cyclops’ lair by hiding under sheep

18. References
Coen, Joel, and Ethan Coen. O'Brother, Where Art Thou. Succes, 2001.
Homer. The Odyssey of Homer. Translated by Richmond Lattimore, HarperPrennial Modern Classics, 2007.
Selvaraj, Kaaviya. “How Is ‘O' Brother Where Art Thou?", Based on Homer's the Odyssey?”Quora, 2015,
Siegel, Janice. “The Coens' O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Homer's Odyssey.” Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada, University of Toronto Press, 27 Sept. 2008, muse.jhu.edu/article/