The Odyssey And Homer's Once Upon A Time

Many Americans gather around the television almost every night of the week to view the latest episode of their favorite thrilling and alluring show. What very few people realize is that most of the time the producers and screen writers did not come up with the idea and themes of these main stream shows all on their own. Much of the modern day media can be traced back to ancient text and stories that were common in antiquity. In the television show, Once Upon A Time it is clear to see that the source of the production comes from fairy tales and Disney movies, but some of the underlining themes actually originate from sources much farther back than Beauty and The Beast. This would entail Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey and the role of more
Based on the viewers who watch the television hit Once Upon A Time compared to the audience of Homer’s epic The Odyssey, the themes have coincided with one another and have morphed to best fit the era in which they were both produced.
In the show Once Upon A Time many of the fairytale story characters have been enchanted by a curse that the evil queen has put on their land that erases their memory and brings them all to a little town in Maine. During each episode there are always scenes that flashback to the old life of the characters, which of course ties into the plot that is going on in Maine. In the episode What Happened to Fredrick, Prince Charming, also known as David in the present day land, was suppose to marry Princess Abigail to collide two kingdoms. The two did not want to follow through with the arrangement because they are both in love with other people, Charming with Snow White, and Abigail with a prince named Frederick. The prince was in battle with Abigail’s father, who was curse was that whatever he touches turns to gold. Sequential, in attempt to save her father, Frederick was turned into gold. Charming, being the hero that he is, wanted to help Abigail find her
Much like Odysseus, searching for the return of nostos, he had hopes to gain something that was once lost to him many years ago, to be at home again. The way the producer ties in the underlining meaning of the word nostos is very clever because the audience would not typically know ancient Greek or be as familiar with The Odyssey. This double meaning gives the producers a sense of originality in the eyes of the viewers. Of course it is a significant part of interlocking both stories together because the idea of nostos is the main theme of The Odyssey and is the driving force behind every event in the epic poem. Considering that the Sirens in The Odyssey resided in a meadow, only furthers interlocks the lake in Once Upon A Time with Homer’s tale. Both heroes, Charming and Odysseus, could have not completed their journey without the aid of a female figure. Circe, longing to be the one in Odysseus life, lets him ago and tells him just what to do in order to return back home to Penelope, his devoted wife. Much like Circe, Abigail in Once Upon A Time aides Charming to the lake in hope to find his peace away from Snow White, who is the center of his affection. This is also another important tie between the two, because without this help, the ending of the story would not be as successful. Odysseus does receive help from his men during his