Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey concludes with Odysseus, portrayed by Matt Damon, finally returning to his homeland of Ithaca after a decade-long journey following the Trojan War. Much like in the original epic poem, Odysseus is initially unrecognizable to his wife Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, and his son Telemachus, portrayed by Tom Holland. He must then confront and defeat the numerous suitors vying for Penelope's hand and control of his kingdom.
While Nolan's version grounds the narrative in a greater degree of realism compared to the source material, it diverges significantly from the poem's original ending. In Homer's tale, after Odysseus slays the suitors, a civil war breaks out as the suitors' families seek revenge. Peace is only brokered through the intervention of the goddess Athena. Nolan omits this divine intervention and the ensuing conflict entirely.
Instead, Nolan's conclusion echoes the thematic sentiments of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Odysseus, his journey at an end, departs with Penelope into the unknown west, leaving Telemachus to rule Ithaca. This imagery signifies the close of one era and the dawn of another, one where the influence of the gods wanes. This resonates with prophecies within the epic that suggest Odysseus' travels are not truly over, even after his return home.
Throughout literary history, other interpretations have explored Odysseus' post-epic fate. Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 19th-century poem "Ulysses" depicts a king restless with domesticity, who leaves Telemachus in charge to embark on a final voyage "to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths / Of all the western stars, until I die," seeking a "newer world." This sentiment aligns with Nolan's vision of Odysseus sailing west.
Nikos Kazantzakis' 20th-century work, "The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel," presents an even more extensive continuation. An aging Odysseus, bored with Ithaca, undertakes a global adventure encountering figures inspired by Buddha, Don Quixote, and Jesus Christ. His final voyage concludes with his death in Antarctica when his boat is capsized by an iceberg.
A more canonical, though still debated, continuation is found in "The Telegony," an ancient epic poem attributed to Eugammon of Cyrene, which complements Homer's Odyssey. "The Telegony" introduces Telegonus, the son of Odysseus and the sorceress Circe, who was born after Odysseus' departure from Circe's island. Before Telegonus enters the narrative, Odysseus travels to Thesprotia, where he marries Queen Callidice and fathers another son, Polypoetes. After Callidice's death, Odysseus leaves Polypoetes to rule Thesprotia and finally returns to Ithaca.
Meanwhile, Telegonus, searching for his father, lands on Ithaca and begins stealing livestock, unaware of his location. An encounter with Odysseus leads to a fatal duel, during which Telegonus kills his father with a spear tipped with a stingray's venomous spine. This outcome aligns with a prophecy from Tiresias in Homer's original poem, which foretold Odysseus' death coming "from the sea," though translations vary on whether it implies proximity to or distance from the sea. "The Telegony" concludes with Telegonus bringing Odysseus' body back to Circe's island, where Circe makes the survivors immortal. Telegonus then marries Penelope, and Telemachus marries Circe, creating a complex, bordering on incestuous, symmetry.
Another notable interpretation comes from Dante Alighieri's "Inferno." In Canto 26, Dante encounters Odysseus (referred to as Ulysses) in the eighth circle of Hell, punished for fraud. Imprisoned within a flame alongside Diomedes, Ulysses recounts how, after leaving Circe, he abandoned his journey home to sail west. He persuaded his crew to embark on one last perilous voyage, which ended in their shipwreck and deaths. They reportedly sighted Mount Purgatory before their ship was pulled into the sea.
Dante's portrayal suggests Ulysses' fatal flaw was his insatiable curiosity and pride, leading him to abandon his family and lead his men to their deaths. This contrasts sharply with Nolan's depiction, where Odysseus' final voyage is framed as romantic rather than a transgression.
While Homer's epic concludes with Odysseus' homecoming, the centuries of retellings demonstrate a persistent fascination with the hero's ultimate fate, offering a spectrum of endings from tragic demise to eternal, westward exploration.