Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) and Odysseus (Matt Damon) in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’
Universal
“Zeus’s Law” is crucial to The Odyssey, impacting every plot twist in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster hit—but what does it really mean?
What Is Zeus’s Law?
In the original Greek epic, “xenia” is the sacred law of hospitality between guests and hosts—a weary traveler could expect food, comfort and shelter from friends and strangers alike, the only obligation to be a respectful guest.
During the era in which The Odyssey is set, xenia was a foundational pillar of civilization, an omnipresent safety net in a dangerous world.
Indeed, the law was so respected that some were emboldened to push their luck—guests who took advantage of wealthy, generous hosts were dubbed “parasites”—the archetype was so familiar that parasites were a stock character in Greek comedies.
Sacred hospitality was not unique to Ancient Greece, but a common concept in the ancient world, influencing modern historical and fantasy fiction (the golden rule was famously violated in Game of Thrones, during the Red Wedding).
Xenia is referred to as “Zeus’s Law” in Nolan’s retelling of The Odyssey, echoing stories of Zeus and other gods taking the form of a wandering stranger to test the generosity of hosts.
This “divinity in disguise” trope can also be found in the Bible—Hebrews 13:2 states, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
A lowly beggar could be a literal god, but fear of heavenly reprisal isn’t really the point—the sacred rule protects strangers and outsiders from dehumanization and discrimination.
However, the golden rule is fragile, and mutual trust must be carefully maintained, lest it erode away.
Why Is ‘Zeus’s Law’ Vital To ‘The Odyssey’?
Zeus’s Law comes up repeatedly in The Odyssey, as characters frequently discuss the rules, are bound by them, and at times, shamelessly break them.
Nolan’s film has been criticized for lack of historical accuracy, but his emphasis on sacred hospitality is faithful to the spirit of Homer’s epic poem.
In fact, the Trojan War is sparked by the breaking of sacred hospitality, after Helen (Lupita Nyong’o) is stolen from her husband Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and harbored within the impenetrable walls of Troy.
The entire cataclysmic conflict is ignited by xenia, but Nolan’s film goes a step further, framing the Wooden Horse of Odysseus (Matt Damon) as the deception that shatters the sanctity of Zeus’s Law.
At the beginning of the film, the rowdy suitors of Odysseus’s wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), have been feasting, drinking and overstaying their welcome for several years, clearly disrespecting Zeus’s Law.
Odysseus’s voyage home illustrates how the law is no longer sacred, the dangers of each island demonstrating how the taboo has been broken.
On their first stop for supplies, Odysseus and his men enter a cave full of cheese and sheep, expecting to be fed as guests. Their host turns out to be a terrifying Cyclops who eats his guests by the handful, and tries to prevent their escape.
On the next island, the crew encounter the savage Laestrygonians, armored giants, who immediately slaughter the men and destroy their ships—the terrifying violence erupts without motivation, or warning.
Growing increasingly desperate, the men seemingly find a hospitable host in Circe (Samantha Morton), who feeds her guests a stew they cannot stop eating, then transforms them into pigs.
Towards the end of the journey, on the isle of Thrinacia, the sacred cattle of the Sun God graze freely. The crew are starving, but the Sun God does not intervene to feed them, so the men help themselves, sealing their doom.
Finally, Odysseus washes up onshore and in the hands of the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), who drugs and entraps him for years, eventually granting him freedom out of sympathy.
Odysseus arrives back at his palace disguised as a beggar (just like Zeus) and witnesses the suitors disregard the sacred rules.
Odysseus, who has shown a commitment to fairness throughout most of the film, wins back the hand of his wife by following the rules of her challenge.
Despite his hard-fought victory, Odysseus is haunted by the knowledge that his legendary war crime, the Wooden Horse, exposed the innocent civilians of Troy to the rampaging Greek soldiers, sparking a cultural shift and ushering in a new dark age.
Nolan’s conclusion deviates from the original epic, remixing historical fact and fiction, connecting the fall of Troy to the Bronze Age Collapse.
Nolan’s retelling of The Odyssey retains the importance of sacred hospitality to tell a modern story, in which mutual trust dissolves into fear, paranoia and forever war.