The Meaning Behind The Odyssey’s Unexpected Final Scene

2 min read

Spoilers below.

Those well-versed in Homer’s epic poem will notice the many ways in which Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey mirrors its inspiration, but they’ll also catch some unexpected elements throughout, especially at the end. While Penelope (Anne Hathaway) has spent years waiting for her husband Odysseus (Matt Damon) to return home and rule Ithaca as king, the film concludes with her making another decision. Together, Penelope and Odysseus sail away, agreeing to self-exile, leaving their son Telemachus (Tom Holland) to assume the throne.

Over the course of the film, Odysseus pieces together his memories from the Trojan War, which he ignited by sneaking his men into Troy in the Trojan Horse, and becomes consumed with guilt over the destruction he caused. For example, while visiting the land of the dead, Odysseus sees Sinon (Elliot Page), a soldier who volunteered to convince the people of Troy to accept the Trojan Horse and died doing his part. Sinon reminds Odysseus that he showed no emotion or empathy toward the men who died under his lead.

Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus.

When Odysseus finally arrives home to Ithaca, he disguises himself as a beggar in order to witness how his home has changed. His son Telemachus is able to recognize him, despite the years of separation, but it’s only after he’s able to string a bow in a way only Odysseus knew how to that Penelope understands that her husband is home.

In Nolan’s telling, Odysseus isn’t unable to reach Ithaca because of calamities, but rather because he is attempting to understand that he unleashed horror. Rather than return to the throne, Odysseus and Penelope leave on a ship, choosing exile and leaving Telemachus to reign as king.

Penelope prepares the bow for the suitors’ test.

The setting sun seen throughout the film was a hint toward the ending. It calls back to early in the film when Penelope urges Odysseus, with whom she has just welcomed baby Telemachus, to avoid going to war and sail away with her to chase the sun. She knew that war causes civilizations to collapse but that they are also rebuilt, like the sun rising each morning. When Penelope and Odysseus sail off in the final scene, they are leaving as punishment, but they are also following the sun, as she had always wished.

In the last line of the film, Odysseus says, “A new dawn will break over the darkened world, when our mistakes will once again be forgotten.” It was a reminder that the sun will always rise again, bringing a new chance to find goodness, as well as the risk of repeating the sins of the past.