Despite the movie never fully showing his face, The Odyssey's Agamemnon has made quite the impression on moviegoers, with his commanding aura and exaggerated armor. But one fan has a theory about why Agamemnon is presented this way.
Over on Reddit, The Odyssey fans agree that Agamemnon's armor is oversized to make himself look bigger and more fearsome, reflecting his massive ego. The thread labels the Greek king a "hidden-faced leader of men who will sacrifice his men and even his children without taking up a weapon himself."
However, the fan highlights that the gold spinal cord on the back of his helmet, which threw many film buffs off when the first Odyssey poster was revealed, actually represents his own lack of valor. "The perfectly gold-plated, polished spine despite him not having one himself," continues the Reddit post. "He represents such leaders universally who go to war for power and useless reasons only. It was such an incredible visual representation of him"
What is more interesting is the notion that Christopher Nolan's Agamemnon may not have looked like this at all, but as most of the tale is told from Odysseus's point of view, this must be how he sees the leader. "I think this crazy manifestation is some of what he became to Odysseus as he has been processing the war for years," replied another Reddit user. This would make sense, as just before he departs for Troy, Odysseus tells Penelope that if he doesn't go, Agamemnon will kill their son, depicting him as a monster.
Homer's The Odyssey started off as an oral myth, passed down through generations via word of mouth. Over time, the poem was embellished and expanded on by other poets over hundreds of years. The tale wasn't actually put to paper until many, many years later. Nolan could be playing off of this by retelling Odysseus' journey through individual experiences.
We already know that Odysseus' perspectives change how we see the movie. When the warrior thinks back to the war, he remembers seeing the face of a Trojan girl his men murdered, which just so happens to be the same girl he sees the goddess Athena as, played by Zendaya. This is also how Telemachus knows his father, through descriptions given by those who knew him. But as facts are passed down, they become twisted.
However, in Homer's tale, Odysseus is not as glorious as Nolan's movie presents him. Aside from Calypso, he actually willingly has an affair with Circe. We think the movie may have left this out, as Odysseus chooses not to remember this detail. This is probably why the siren song was so painful to hear, as he had no choice but to hear the truth about himself, which he had tried so hard to hide.
The Odyssey is out in cinemas now. For more, check out our The Odyssey review and The Odyssey ending explained, and find out where the new movie places in our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan movies.
