Is Christopher Nolan more Stoic than Homer
Arguably
Is Nolan’s Odyssey more Stoic than Homer’s?
Of course, The Odyssey has Stoic themes – but precedes Socrates and Zeno of Citium by hundreds of years. It cannot be said to be a Stoic work. And I don’t think Nolan’s Odyssey is definitely Stoic either. But Stoics can and have seen Odysseus as an exemplar.
And, arguably, Nolan’s Odysseus is more Stoic than Homer’s. This isn’t critical appraisal of the widely reviewed film – what follows simply makes the argument.
Zeus’ Law
For instance, the idea of Zeus’ law (xenia) – of seeing and treating anyone as if they could be a God – is arguably a Christian idea – but it is also closer to Stoic than Homeric ethics. In some interviews, Nolan suggests that this idea is essentially the Golden Rule (and I believe Penelope gives voice to it during the movie) – but it is a stretch to read it as such in Homer.
It’s less of a leap to see this kind of ethics in the Stoics – who largely rejected hierarchies of birth and approached modern ideas of equality. Of course, the ethics of being a good host and guest are essential to Homer, but Nolan’s spin is arguably more Stoic than Homeric.
Justice
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus slaughters the suitors, even those who plead for mercy.
In Nolan’s, he just kills the bad guys. His son, Telemachus does not string up the female slaves.
One could read this as more modern, but also more in line with Stoic justice.
Antinous and his posse tried to kill Odysseus and Telemachus after all, rendering the scene much less ambiguous for modern viewers. This may make the film less complex, but renders its themes more Stoic.
Odysseus does not lose his head in the scene of revenge. Further, the scene does not resort to pacifist regret or detached relativism – the suitors deserved to die. The scene comes close to exemplifying fair dealing – the knowledge of how to deal with one’s neighbors without incurring undue blame.
The Gods
In Nolan’s Odyssey, the gods do not walk among us. “Athena” is arguably a projection of Odysseus’ psyche. Poseidon is never seen. There is magic, but it is “apparent magic” and so ambiguous.
The Stoics spoke of Zeus and the gods but did not see them as supernatural. God is reason – the foundational force giving life to the universe. They were pantheists, of a kind, and saw God as Nature – not as a mind above it. Zeus does not rule mortals from above; he is already present as a natural force.
This gives credence to Zeus’ law – the idea that anyone could be a god. Because we are capable of reason, the Stoics held that we each possess a fragment of the divine – and perhaps become divine when we exercise that reason.
Responsibility and Role Ethics
Odysseus is the man who endures and perseveres, whatever the whims of fate and fortune.
He’s constantly balancing his duties as king, general, leader, father, and husband. Despite the distance between our circumstances and his, his life is familiar. We’re often caught between our roles and will go astray. Odysseus provides an example of someone who gets back on the path.
As Seneca wrote:
“Show me, through Ulysses’ example, how to love my country, wife, and father, and how, even after shipwreck, to keep sailing toward these honorable ends.”
Moral Letters, 88
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Listen to Michael’s and my discussion tomorrow.