Nolan’s 'Odyssey' Misses the Point

Odysseus was my hero when I was a child. I loved that he was a wanderer, an adventurer, a teller of tales, but most of all I loved that he was really really smart—polutropos, “the man of many wiles.” He got himself into and out of tight spots by being clever, by talking, paying attention, looking ahead, making a plan. The other Greek heroes, Heracles, for example, were just big oafs waving swords. I barely noticed that Odysseus did plenty of his own sword-waving. He wasn’t just brain; he was brawn too. I just took what I needed as a small female person who loved writing poetry and hated gym.