The Odyssey - Man's Best Friend

Like many others who went to experience Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, I left the theater, but the movie did not leave me. While there is so much to break down and discuss about this film, I would like to focus on a specific moment that stuck with me. As a young kid, I remember (not in its entirety) reading Homer's The Odyssey and really taking an interest into the way this story was told. A lot of it is remembered in bits and pieces for me, but one moment that I never forgot was when Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca and finds his hunting dog Argos after all those years gone. What felt like only a brief moment on the screen, ending up being one of the most emotional moments in the nearly 3 hour run time.

It is only right that we start with how Homer, whose story we are still talking about thousands of years later, originally wrote this moment.

In the books, when Odysseus finally returns to his palace in Ithaca, he finds Argos lying in manure. He stands before the hunting dog he bred and trained before leaving for the Trojan War, now neglected, malnourished, and old. Like the many other things that the war has taken from him, a life with his dog was lost.

Odysseus, standing in disguise as a beggar, notices Argos in his current state, and is instantly recognized through the disguise by the dog, who drops his ears and begins to wag his tail. The neglect and consequences of time does not allow the loyal dog to approach his master. Odysseus is forced to withhold himself, unable to show any sort of affection to his loyal companion. Most translations of Homer’s text include a moment where Odysseus wipes a tear from his face, hiding it from Eumaeus as he walks away from him for the last time. Odysseus lowers his head and does not react as he walks off, knowing that his political enemies would notice and ruin his plan. Argos dies immediately after, exemplifying the devotion and loyalty of the man’s best friend down to the last moment. A loyalty that stands the test of time, unmatched by any other species. It truly is a beautifully tragic scene that tugs at the heartstrings.

In the film, Argos is treated almost as a side character. He was the consistent symbol of loyalty to the nearly forgotten king and was ridiculed and abused multiple times throughout the story by the suitors. Not only a symbol of loyalty, but he was also a symbol of the years lost. Odysseus is shown holding the puppy early on the film, laying this emotional groundwork that it returns to in the latter part of the film.

After saving Telemachus, Odysseus returns to Ithaca disguised as a beggar. As he approaches what was once his palace gates, he finds Argos abandoned, lying on dirt by the entrance. The disguised king approaches and is recognized instantly as Argos reacts as much as a dog on death’s door could. The loyal dog is too weak to rise like he once could, but the joy is visible. What may have felt like a lifetime floating away at sea after the Trojan war, was actually a lifetime for Agos. Yet, he waited. Loyally and honorably, he waited for Odysseus as he knew he would return. Odysseus reacts quietly, kneeling down and gently petting him. Argos dies in that very moment after knowing his master has finally returned safely. It is in that moment that Telemachus realizes that this beggar is, in fact, his father.

There must have been a leak in the theater, because there was water dripping down my face that could obviously only have come from a leaky pipe or something. I thoroughly enjoyed Nolan’s The Odyssey, but I thought his portrayal of this particular moment was fantastic. Nolan himself described this movie as the “ultimate dog story” and stated that him getting his first dog was a huge reason he took on this project. Such a memorable moment from the story, executed very well. You have to give Damon his flowers with his emotional performance here. He was a great Odysseus. What I find interesting, is that this truly was one of the most human moments that we see from Odysseus. Not only human, but one of the more emotional moments we see from him. He is forced, as a hero, to suppress his emotion throughout his journey and focus on the end goal. While not always perfect, the legend of Odysseus often blurs the line of hero and regular man, and I think this moment actually ties the movie’s theme of hubris all together. He has finally returned, and at this point, his overconfidence has faded. That left him after he spoke to his fallen comrades in Hades. He has paid many consequences through the wraith of the gods, and returning to Argos and seeing him the way he did, was a powerful moment. At this point in time, his hubris is realized and his sacrilegious plan a thing of regret. Argos is the reminder of what was lost. This moment humanizes the hero.

By Brandon C. Leo