Nolan's The Odyssey at Athelhampton House & Gardens
- Juliet Braidwood
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has met with mixed opinions from staff at Athelhampton House & Gardens, with some thoroughly enjoying this new adaptation, while others arguing that it's historically inaccurate, and has been modernised too much.
The ancient Greek and Roman myths, especially the Homeric epics, have fascinated us since they were first created. Through the Renaissance, when Athelhampton was built and added to, there was a renewed interest in these ancient tales. With the advent of the printing press, they were printed and reprinted. Masques were an excuse for the rich to dress up as gods and goddesses, nymphs and satyrs, and re-enact these stories both on a grand and a domestic scale.
These outfits could range from the fantastical, drawing on "antique" dress with veils, wings, and elaborate sandals and belts, to the more ordinary - ordinary garments worn by the rich on a day-to-day basis, but altered slightly by draping some extra fabric, adding a floral garland, and letting their hair down.
And what does this have to do with our arguments over The Odyssey at Athelhampton House & Gardens? Well, the clothing worn for masques in the 16th and 17th centuries to re-enact stories including Homer's myths is, in a way, very similar to the costuming in Nolan's The Odyssey. In both cases, inspiration has been taken from popular concepts of what people used to wear in the ancient Greek and Roman times, but it has then been altered - modernised according to the tastes of the wearer and the viewer.
The way in which 17th century dress was altered and "antiquified" can be seen clearly in these two images of Charles I. In the centre is a sketch of Charles in masque dress, which it can be seen is a cross between his ordinary, fashionable clothing on the left, and the armour seen on Roman statuary on the right.
Just like the costumes, the stories told in the myths were adapted and updated to fit with modern themes. In Nolan's The Odyssey, the character of Odysseus might be said to described as humble, and guilt-ridden, whereas in the original myth he was anything but. It was his own pride and hubris which caused Poseidon to take against him, and the way in which he can so matter of factly recount the ransacking and pillaging of towns by him and his men would do much to villainise him to a modern audience.
When we see the complex story of the Trojan war retold in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was likewise adapted to suit the moral tastes of our Tudor and Stuart forbears. They played fast and loose with the narrative, too, adding in their own stories and scenes without concern for fidelity to the original texts. One such example is a truce occurring after the fifth battle in the Trojan wars, in which Hector visited Achilles in his tent - something that can be seen on the right hand side of the tapestry above.
Whether you enjoy myths being updated for a modern audience, following a tradition that dates back almost to when they were originally noted down, or whether you're more of a fan of sticking to the original text as closely as possible, you can come and spot your own ancient myths here. While we don't have The Odyssey at Athelhampton, in our Tudor bedroom you can spot not just the myth of Hercules, but also some of the gods and goddesses of the sea in our Delft tiles in the fire place.
Out in the gardens, too, you can see if you can spot some satyrs heads in the fountains as you explore the landscaping carried out by Inigo Thomas in the 1890s.
If you want to come and see these myths for yourself, Athelhampton is open 7 days a week all year round, save a few days at Christmas. Book tickets online here to save up to 10%, or buy your tickets on the door.
