The Daily What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything.
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Jul 12, 2026 
Madeline Miller, novelist known for modern retellings like Circe, and Emily Wilson, a classics professor and the first woman to translate the Odyssey into English, discuss why the ancient poem still matters. They debate translation choices, read powerful scenes, unpack Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus and the gods, and weigh adaptations including Christopher Nolan’s film.
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Circe Was A Healer Not Just A Villain
- Madeline Miller retells Circe's Odyssey role as misunderstood: she heals and offers refuge after turning men into pigs, then gives crucial advice when they leave.
- Miller wrote Circe to ask why Circe acted as she did and to tell the story from Circe's perspective.
Odysseus Is A Master Of Multiple Selves
- Odysseus's defining trait is multiplicity: code-switching, self-reinvention, and surviving diverse threats through cunning rather than brute force.
- Wilson frames him as unique among Homeric heroes because he can live many identities across environments.
Heroism In Homer Embraces Moral Ambiguity
- Madeline Miller stresses Odysseus blends brilliance with ruthlessness, showing signs akin to trauma and moral ambiguity rather than simple heroism.
- She notes ancient audiences accepted trickery as a useful skill, so Odysseus's lying is both admired and morally fraught.
